


FROST

by Demitria_Teague



Series: EXO Initiative [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action, Angst, Cover Art, Cytokenesis, Dominate Kris, Dominate Luhan, Dubious Consent, Human Trafficking, Humor, M/M, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Past Drug Use, Romance, Spy!verse, Stubborn Minseok, Submissive Luhan, Submissive Tao, Sweet Kris, Sweet Tao, Talented Luhan, Telekenisis, Time Control, bdsm undertones, fire manipulation, mama!verse, sex slaves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-04 09:36:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5329337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demitria_Teague/pseuds/Demitria_Teague
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>New chapter in the works - NOTED 7/17/2016</p><p>Unlike most of EXO Initiative, Luhan is willing to do anything to complete his missions.  When he allows himself to fall victim to a human trafficking ring whose started targeting entertainment super stars, he's got two assignments.  Find Kris, a member of EXO Initiative who has stopped reporting to the Directive a little over a week ago and break out Korean's Darling, an 'A' list actor named Kim Min Seok. </p><p>His job gets complicated when Kim Min Seok turns out to be nothing like what you'd expect from a National Darling. Plus, Tao shows up, whose never been on an undercover assignment in his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Summary

Unlike most of EXO Initiative, Luhan is willing to do anything to complete his missions. When he allows himself to fall victim to a human trafficking ring whose started targeting entertainment super stars, he's got two assignments. Find Kris, a member of EXO Initiative who has stopped reporting to the Directive a little over a week ago and break out Korean's Darling, an 'A' list actor named Kim Min Seok.

His job gets complicated when Kim Min Seok turns out to be nothing like what you'd expect from a National Darling. Plus, Tao shows up, whose never been on an undercover assignment in his life.


	2. Luhan

*Note ** Now, before you start reading this there's something I have to explain. Luhan has low self esteem and because of this, he needs someone to take care of him. His Dom, So-Mi calls him her pet, but he's more like her soul mate/other half, with out sex. She's his keeper not his lover. She is a she and I know some of you may not like that. She's also and OC and American. I just have to write the story the way that it came to me when I was inspired. With out So-Mi, this version of Luhan wouldn't exist and neither would this version of Xium... none of this story would exist. So... just bare with me. It will be Xiuhan. Also (Daye-Mi is Luhan - it will be explained).

* * *

 

_It is officially confirmed by KPD (the Korean Police Department) that the 'A' list actor, Kim Min Seok is, in fact, missing. The report states that after leaving a signing event for his new movie Ice Queen, which he played a large part in the creation of, he and some friends went to Mad-Dot's, an international 'A' list club on the strip, to celebrate the project's Launch. His friends state that somewhere like two hours in to the night he went to the bar to get a drink, this was about eight thirty PM. When he didn't return after thirty minutes, they became concerned and began searching for him. They were unable to locate his where-abouts._

_After calling his cell phone and checking his home, they reported his disappearance to the police. Friends and family say that it's unlike him to go anywhere with out letting someone know. Twenty four hours after his reported disappearance, the Nation morns the loss of it's darling prince actor, Kim Min Seok and they pray for his safe recovery. This is Sun Neon-Vi with KV News, signing off Live from our studios in Seoul. I'll keep you updated in the upcoming days about the progress of this story._

Yixing hit the power button on the remote and the T.V. screen went black.

"So, Yifan has been missing for a week and no one told me about it," Daye-Mi said. He looked from Yixing to So-Mi.

So-Mi handed him the manilla folder she was holding. He eyed it critically as she said, "His last transmission stated that The Ring was targeting someone big. An actor, but he didn't know which one. There are a lot of 'A' list actors. With out more information we were unable to respond in an efficient manner.

He sighed in annoyance. "Could you please stop talking to me in Directive Tone, right now?"

She pursed her lips at him. "This is important, Daye-Mi," she said firmly. "Now's not the time to get offended."

Glaring at her, he said, "Excuse me if it's weird when my Dom, whose seen me naked on more than one occassion, feels the need to talk to me in such a detached manor. You know how that is for my self esteem." He flicked the folder open. There were a hand full of photos inside. Three that he recognized from the news, then others in different settings and tones.

"Kim Min Seok," he read aloud. "Age twenty-seven. International age, twenty-six. Korean. Nicknames-" He snorted in amusement. "Little Fattie, really?" He looked up and So-Mi was smiling at him.

"I thought the same thing," she said.

Shaking his head, he looked back down at the photos. He raised one of them up in to the light. It was in black and white and the focal point was a side ways, full body shot. It was a stunning shot. Kim Min Seok had a feline appearance, but the roundness of the rest of his features softened the sharp edges.

"He's adorable." He realized the description was an understatement when he came to a photo where he wasn't smiling. There was a light crease between his brow as he looked away from the camera. With no humor in his expression, all those sharp edges stood out to create a fierceness that resonated as masculine strength. The distinction from the rest of the photos left him momentarily breathless.

"I take it back," he said. "He's looks yummy." He heard Yixing snort in amusement and he looked up to smile at him. "I'm just saying." So-Mi crossed her arms at him and he rolled his eyes.

"I'm just admiring his physical appearance. Is that a crime?" He snickered when she narrowed her eyes at him. Balancing the folder on his stomach, he sank further down in to the couch cushions. "Why do you keep giving me mean looks?" He poked his bottom lip out in a small pout.

"Because this a serious situation and you keep playing. How can I trust that you can actually handle this situation if you can't act proper in the Debriefing Room?"

He widened his eyes dramatically. "When have I ever acted proper?"

"Daye-Mi."

"I'm going to do right," he insisted, waving the picture he was holding as he spoke. "I always do. Why do we always have to have this conversation? This is for Yifan and this actor guy. Relax. You're really starting to annoy me."

She remained silent as she just stared at him. Her shoulders sagged as she deflated. "Fine. I'm worked up about this. We've never had this happen before." The Initiative was relatively new, only six years old, and none of their members had just randomly dropped off the map like Yifan had.

He blinked, feeling a little guilty. "Sorry," he apologized. "Sarcasm and naughtiness is how I deal with nerves.

"Yes, I know."

They both let out little laughs at that. They barely argued and when they did it was normally just low levels of bickering, because they understood each other so well. So-Mi had been taking care of him since he was seventeen years old. She'd become his permanent Dom when he turned eighteen and that's when he'd taken on the name Daye-Mi. It was a daughter name to her Honorary Korean one, So-Mi.

Daye-Mi meant multitalented beauty and So-Mi meant Serene Beauty. They both disliked their names, but found the others' name fitting. He hated his, because he had low self esteem and no matter how much he did to change it, he could never see himself the way others saw him. She hated hers because she didn't think she was so serene. Yixing had given her the name and it's the only reason why she'd kept it. It'd been one of those presents gifted by a friend when she'd been new in her first asian country.

She'd lived in China for a little while before she'd migrated to Korea. Daye-Mi had come to Korea as a trainee for KM Entertainment, but was dropped three months later for his drug use and illicit behavior. So-Mi had found him in an alley way behind some club he couldn't recall. He'd been naked, bruised up and he'd had blood on his face. Because he'd been high at the time, he can't recall most of what had happened to him, but he knows it involved more than one person. All men and they'd all used him to their hearts delight. He doesn't remember how he'd ended up with a busted nose or lip.

Most likely, it'd been from a bad reaction to what ever drug or drugs he'd been on at the time. Maybe he'd reacted violently and they beaten him up. He remembered them tossing him out of their car. So-Mi hadn't hesitated to take him home. Most people would have taken him to a hospital, but if she'd done that the police would have gotten involved.

That's the night he'd also met Yixing. It was the first time he'd met another person like him. Someone with supernatural abilities. Yixing had healed his physical wounds first, then slowly over a few days had nursed the effects of the drugs out of his system. It taken him about a week to really process what had happened to him. The few weeks following his psychological recovery, he'd learned that So-Mi was an empath and that she felt other peoples' emotions like they were her own.

She'd been a God-send, because he'd never been able to acurrately explain his feelings to other people when they'd asked him why he was the way he was. Having someone just know made things infinitely more better for him. All he'd needed was someone's understanding. Someone to stick with him and fight for him, even when he felt like he wasn't worth the trouble. Now, here he was ten years later. This would be the first time he'd use his real name in all that time.

It doesn't make him feel strong or accomplished. It terrified him, because it made him feel exposed. He relied on the sheild that So-Mi provided, but he knew that now was the time. Yifan needed him and the target, Kim Min Seok needed him. For them, he would do it.

At least, So-Mi was encouraging this. It meant that he wasn't completely alone. Except for Scenes, he'd been pretty much celebate for the last ten years. His abilities, the level of his psychological instability and sex did not make a good mix, but So-Mi believed he was ready. So, the name Lu Han was raised from the ashes. With the name came the responsibility. To the public, he didn't exist. To every one who knew anything about his sexual nature, he was the secret weapon.

~

Lu Han

~

_"Today, the newest Chinese member of the popular Kpop group known as Exo, released his first single, Football Gang. He'll be performing it on The Good Show in two days time. Everyone is asking who this kid is and where he came from?"_

_"Luhan blew fans away with his racy music and powerful choreography on last nights episode of The Good Show. As of midnight last night, he has broken the record for the only person to ever get ten billion views on Weibo."_

He closed his laptop with a sigh.

The Initiative safe house was built underneath the Western Hotel. There was one underneath every Western Hotel on the planet. Directive Orders. The only other people there with him was Baekhyun and Chanyeol. They were currently watching a movie in the Common Area.

He'd know that he'd be popular with the girls when he'd taken this mission, but he hadn't expected for his popularity to sky rocket. He'd used his powers to scope out each crowd they'd performed for. One of The Rings scouts would eventually show up. He needed to catch their attention. He needed to become the target.

~

The stage stretched in four directions. There were national fans in front of him and international fans behind him. Luhan smiled, bowed and addressed them. He appreciated all of his fans. When the music started, his back up dancers surrounded him.

He was performing Football Gang again. The energy in the air was alive. Something was going to happen. The beat picked up and he smiled as adrenaline flooded his system. The choreography was a correlation of big arm and leg movements, then quick draw back movements.

Close to the end of the song, he leaned down and the bass droped as his palm touched the floor. He slowly raised himself back up. Goosebumps spread out as he allowed his mind to expand throughout the entire crowd. He resisted shivering as the crowds thoughts and emotions played back to him on his mental feed. Nearly every person there was aroused by him. A lot of them thought he was pretty. Some think he's beautiful with no other word to describe it.

Lude images of him bound in one form or the other flash through his mind. It's the images of him being drugged and locked with in a top floor apartment an hour out of town that's sticks out to him the most. Finally. All of these things had come to him in a flash.

"Breath it in..." The slow beat of the music flows out as he reins his mind back in. "Ràng zhè shíkōng wéiràozhe nǐ baby. Watch us win. Zhuīqiú wèilái de zìyóu. Free your mind and let it go."

The beat picked up and he spun around to kick out towards the group of guys behind him. They split ways and turned to pose. "Hear the crowd go ~Oh oh oh oh oh~

He skipped between them and touched the arms of two other guys who spin around. Them and the guys from before form a line. He skipped around the stage, posed for pictures, touched the crowd, then posed before his dancers as the song ended. That night his name is entered in to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not for Person To Get The Most Weibo Views.

~

He was laying his head in So-Mi's lap when she whispered, "See? I told you this was how it'd all work out."

His eyes were closed and he was enjoying the feel of her running her fingernails through his hair. She was right. Being called Luhan again wasn't so bad. It was definitely better than it'd been when he was sixteen. His newest video, That Good Good MV was only created to illicit an immediate response from his stalkers.

It worked. Three days after it'd been released, he'd gone missing.

* * *

 

I hope that you weren't disappointed by the beginning. More coming soon. I would love to hear your take on this chapter. I invite you to leave a Comment.


	3. Captured

Luhan's body felt heavy. His head spun every time he tried to move. His breaths were loud in his ears. His arms were too warm from his jacket and he wanted to take it off, but he couldn't. At one point in time he heard the sound of a door being opened. He was too out of it to focus properly.

Slowly, a humming sound filtered through the haze in his mind. It's the first thing he'd heard that he could properly process. It sounded like a big air conditioner. The moment he registered the feeling of a sheet underneath his hands, he gripped it with both hands. He groaned, because he realized how weak his hands were.

What had they given him?

~

Getting off the bed was hard. He felt so heavy and it took extra energy to move. His legs almost collapsed when he stood up and he had to grip the bottom railing for support. The only light was a dim bulb over a sink and mirror by the door. Besides the bed, it was the only other thing in the room.

After a few minutes of just standing there, he couldn't do it any more. It was pure luck that he managed to get back up on the bed. His mind felt like it was spinning in circles and it was an agonizing sensation. It felt like he was up high and would fall off the edge at any moment. His hands shook as he pulled himself up to the head of the bed.

The heaviness in his limbs and the haze in his mind overwhelmed him and he was sucked in to a frenzied darkness. His thoughts were scattered and he wasn't entirely sure if he was unconscious or not. His awareness flitted about, never remaining in one spot for too long.

~

He feels angry when he wakes up again. The sound of an unfamiliar voice is saying something that he can't process. As he lifts his head, he sees blonde hair and a black jacket with a hood. He blinked a few times to clear the blurriness from his vision. The guy sitting on the edge of the bed is facing the other way and he's dipping a spoon in a blue bowl. When he tried to ask who the guy was, his voice comes out thick and cracks in the middle of the first word.

The guy turned his head to look at him and he's surprised by his appearance. He looks younger than him. Not by much, but if he were any one else he'd consider it disturbing that someone so young was working in a place like this. He has pale skin, which seems to almost glow beneath his mess of blonde bangs. His eyes are almost black and his bony square shaped jaw makes his face unattractively unproportioned. He smiled and Luhan was momentarily startled.

His features become softer, giving him an innocent appearance. He wondered what it'd be like to fuck a guy who only looked good when he smiled. He resisted snickering when the image of him wearing a bag over his head popped in to his mind.

"You need to eat something," the guy said, holding the bowl out to him. His voice was deep and kind of nasily.

He eyed it speculatively. His mind started buzzing when he tried to read his mind. He had to lay back down. "I'm not hungry."

"The drugs they use always makes you feel like shit. You need to get something in your belly."

It sounded good, but he doesn't feel strong enough to sit up. Much less try and eat anything. "Can't." The bed beside him dipped and he jolted at the feeling of hand touching his face. His head was tilted up and pain shot through his eyes as a light flashed in them. It felt like he was being repeatedly stabbed and he tried to turn his head away.

The grip on his chin tightened, which forced his head to remain in place. He gritted his teeth and tried to pull the hand off his face.

"Calm down or I'm going to inject you with something else," the guy warned. He was checking his pupils with a pin light.

Right. He was supposed to be afraid. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to pull his head away again. The grip on his face disappeared and he was roughly yanked forward by his hair.

"I said calm down," the guy growled.

"Who are you," Luhan cried. His scalp ached from the rough treatment and he gritted his teeth against the pain. As to be expected from anyone working in a place like this, this guy was not innocent.

"It doesn't matter who I am." He clicked his tongue. Luhan could feel the heat from the guys face on his. He opened his eyes and he was right there. For a moment they just looked at each other.

By the look in his eyes, he could tell that he wanted him. He wondered if he was allowed to take him or if he wasn't under orders to leave him alone. In a place like this, a leader had to really be feared for that rule to be followed. He wondered what kind of a leader there was or if there were more than just one of them. Usually, the scale worked in tiers.

Big Boss, Leader, right hand man, body guards, goons. Sometimes, egotistical idiots who'd seen way too many movies or read too many comics would call themselves Generals and their flock of gun totting idiots, soldiers. This guy was dressed casual. Loose jeans, black T-shirt, black hooded jacket. He looked like some skateboarding punk kid you'd find causing mischief in the streets, but from the look in his eyes and the fact that he was still restraining himself told him that he wasn't a goon.

He was something else. He'd eventually figure it out. Luhan swallowed and looked away from him. "What do you want," he asked in a shaky voice.

The guy gave a small smile. "What I want and what they want is two different things."

His eyes widened slightly. "What..." He cried out when the guy tugged on his hair again. "Please," he begged. His shirt was tugged up and he gripped the sheet as the guy ran a hand down the length of his chest and stomach. "Don't don't..."

Suddenly, the grip in his hair and the hand on his stomach was gone. The mattress rose and he opened his eyes. The guy was leaving. He stared wide eyed at him as he headed for the door.

"Eat," the guy said, pointing towards the floor. The door clicked shut and there was a clunk sound. He had locked it from the other side.

Luhan took in a deep breath. His body still felt heavy and he felt like he could sleep for a week. He really needed to eat, though. Making a face, he leaned over the side of the bed and grabbed the bowl of food. It turned out to be a thin soup.

Very tiny peices of vegetables floated around in it and he couldn't taste the distinction between them as he ate. He left the bowl on the floor when he was done and went back to sleep.

~

Tao's office looked more like the laboratory of a mad scientist. A tall see-through tube like cage sat in the middle of the room. It was connected to a thick rotating metal stand. There were long used school desks scatter along the walls of the entire room. All of them covered in various electronic device parts, mostly computers and cell phones. There were also different shaped and colored bottles all around. Honestly, there was no telling what you'd find in there.

His main desk was positioned a few feet away from the cage. He kept his personal laptop and important documents in this one. He also had this thing with writing utensils. If you needed various shades of pens, you asked Tao. If you needed a #2 pencil, you asked Tao.

If you randomly decided that you wanted to do Calligraphy at three in the morning and needed the appropriate brush, you asked Tao. He was also the one you went to if you needed to hack in to secure surveillance systems. When the double doors opened, he didn't look up. A month ago, he'd super - imposed a virtual game on to the lenses of his goggles and now he'd spend significant amounts of time working out the kinks. Right now, he was standing on a giant glacier.

The sun shined brightly over the snow making it seem even whiter. The dark blue ocean stretched out as far as the eye could see and a white tiger was curled up on a rock by it's edge. Everything about this scene clashed, but that's why it was called fantasy. It could be what ever he wanted it to be.

"What the hell..."

He looked up and he could barely make out Jondae's form. The goggles were connected to the external memory box that he had set up to his laptop and the thick braid of wires touched his right cheek as he cocked his head. The world behind the goggles faded a little bit.

"You know, you're really starting to become a freak."

Sighing, he removed the goggles and sat them on his desk. Jondae was referring to the black, headless mannequins he'd hung upside from the left side of the room. He'd thought about installing a device in the ceiling that would move around, so the mannequins would circulate. "What do you want," he asked in annoyance. Ever since he'd heard about Kris's disappearance he hadn't been in a social mood and it made it even worse that they'd waited almost two weeks to tell him about it.

He felt betrayed. Their excuse was that they wanted to get a better grasp on the situation, give Kris time to contact them before they overreacted. It didn't matter what the situation was. They should have told him. Kris was his best friend. If it wasn't for the fact that Kris was so loyal to the Initiative and the fact that his skills could be used to help him, he'd have quit as soon as he'd found out.

Jongdae was making a face when he turned to look at him. "The Directive wants you in the Debriefing Room."

"Why," he demanded. His expression changed and Tao became concerned. "Did something happen?"

"Sort of. Not with Kris, but... Luhan."

"What happened?"

He scratched his head quickly and dropped his hand. "He went missing."

"What?" The outcome was what they'd been hoping for, but the fact that he'd actually been abducted was a serious situation. "Do they know anything about it?"

"That's why they want you."

Tao gave him a quick bow before he grabbed his laptop and ran out of the room.

~

Luhan didn't wake up so much as realize that he wasn't asleep any more. He felt slightly disconnected from his body and it was tempting to float further away. His eyes popped open and he bolted upright with a gasp. There was a moment of silence, then the sound of something breaking. Sometimes, he accidently used his abilities when he was asleep.

It doesn't happen very often and it'd never caused any problems, but it does make his life difficult when you have to avoid sleeping around normal people. The drugs in his system must have filtered out, because he feels lighter than he had before he'd went to sleep and it's easier to move. He leaned over the bed and pouted at the sight of the broken blue bowl he'd eaten soup out of. They were most likely going to think that done it on purpose. Oh, well. At least he could use his abilities now.

He rolled over on to his back and stared at the ceiling as he focused on trying to clear his mind. When he used his abilities it felt like his mind became this liquid thing that spreads out and sinks in to everything around it. It could move through solid objects easily. In this state, thoughts could filter through to him and he saw them flash before his physical eyes. As long as he stayed focused he could efficiently process everything he was seeing and keep it all compartmentalized.

It doesn't happen very often, but he could sometimes pick up the energy that had been left behind on inanimate objects. Like a door knob, pencil and very rarely from the air. When this happens he sometimes gets flashes about an event that happened with who ever left the energy behind. Most of the time, though, he just picks up residual emotions. Sadness, anger, frustration, happiness, or a combination of emotions.

He'd always had telekenisis (the ability to move things with his mind) and as he'd honed in this ability he'd developed telephathic abilities (the ability to read peoples thoughts and project his own thoughts). Telepathy also comes with other little nifty quirks. Luhan smiled. A guy, silver hair, a peircing in his lower lip, blue camo sweat suit outfit, attractive, was coming down the hallway. His eyes widened slightly and the lock on his door flipped. "You want me," he whispered softly, projecting the thought as he did so.

The guy jolted to a halt.

"Remember me," he whispered. "It's Luhan. We're friends. You missed me so much?"

"Why am I here alone if you missed me so much?" He closed his eyes and searched for the guys name. He gets 'Aero', 'Cho', 'Marx', 'Stix', all cover names, before he gets to his real name. He has to sink deeper, because the guy hasn't used his real name in years. "Ho Lee Ma," he says.

"LeeMa-ge," he whined. The door slowly opened. He opens his eyes and turns his head to smile at him.

Ho Lee Ma peeked his head in the room. "Luhan," he said softly. He smiled when he saw him.

Luhan projected the image of a nice traditional house in to his head. The fantasy that he created in Ho Lee Ma's mind is that they met when Luhan was fifteen. They'd been best friends and then Luhan had moved away for school. Ho Lee Ma had invited him over to his house after all these years to catch up. "It's me," he said, sitting up. He smiled widely. "This is so exciting."

He came inside and shut the door. "This is exciting," he said as he crossed the room. "How have you been?"

"Good." He stands up and accepts a warm hug. He's a little taller than him and older, so he's nicely filled out. The hug is firm and comforting. It'd taken him a while to get the hang of projecting his thoughts.

He'd made a mess of every ones minds for a little while. It'd taken a lot of meditation and visualization practice for him to be able to master it. One of the things that sometimes got to him was just how easy it was to take over someone's mind and control every thing from their thoughts to their actions. Right now, he needed information and a spy. He had to accept this person like the fantasy they were living in was real. It wasn't that he minded so much as it was just slightly disconcerting at times.

After all, it was a stranger touching him and talking to him, like they'd known each other forever. They sat on the bed and Luhan reached for his hand. "Ma-'ge, can I ask you a favor?"

"Of course, anything." His eyes are lined in black and his expression is warm. He smiles and he looks really handsome. He freezes when Luhan leans closer to his face. "I need to know some things. Do you trust me?"

"I... don't understand."

"It'll be ok," he softly whispers. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course. What do you need?"

"I just need you to relax." It's easier to read people's thoughts if he touched them. Thoughts were energy, so with physical touch, his Telekenisis and Telepathy both come in to play. He can read everything from their thoughts to what's unknowingly gone on around their immediate viccinity. He slowly placed his hands on his cheeks. "Now, just breath."

He gets flashes of vehicles: A silver car, a big black truck, traffic. Ho Lee Ma was calm. The only reason he could feel that is because he was under his power. He trusted him completely, so he could easily pick it up.

Luhan pushed past the emotion. Sometimes, even when a person is completely open their mind will still resist as a defense mechanism. He doesn't force himself in to his mind. He simply keeps himself open to receive what comes out. There's the place they're in now: An old factory that they've refurbished as a temporary base.

Different faces flashed in to his mind. This guy hasn't been working here that long and he doesn't know many people by name. "Do you know anything about an actor named Kim Min Seok," he asked. Images of the actor start popping out at him. They're all from news reports.

Snippets of the different movies this guy has seen with him in it start playing. He pushed them aside. Damn. So this guy hasn't seen him. He takes a moment to take in the guys expression.

It's blank and it makes him a little nervous. Even though, Luhan had mastered his abilities, he's still worried that he'll do something wrong and mess up someone's brain while trying to get information.

"I'm fine," assured him. His words come out a little distorted, because of his hands on his cheeks.

He smiled in relief. "Ok. You're doing so good. I only have one more question for you."

"What is it?"

"You wouldn't happen to know a guy that goes by the name Dragon, would you?" Fear races through his veins and he's momentarily terrified. Dragon was intimidating. His eyes were cold. Avoid him... Gritting his teeth, he pulled himself back from the emotion and the thoughts. So, this guy was afraid of Kris. That was amusing. And this was why Directive always sent Kris undercover. He was good at what he does. "So, I take that as a yes."

"Yes. He's scary."

"Where is he?"

He sees the same black truck again. It's leaving. Tag number: XVG23-Y. Package Delivery. Trip.

A guy with a short hair cut, wearing a gray suit pops in to his head. The name comes to him in different ways and he makes a face in confusion. Cont... Conilli... Contilli... Ocon... He blinks as he realizes it's Ho Lee Ma's confusion that he's feeling. He doesn't know exactly what his name is. Luhan lets go of his face.

"Well, it was nice talking to you," he said, sweetly. "I'm really tired. I think I'm going to go to sleep now."

"Oh," Ho Lee Ma exclaimed. "I'm sorry to have kept you up so late. Please, sleep well. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Yes, we will."

With a deep bow, he left the room and Luhan's cheeks puffed out as he exhaled sharply. At least, he had one peice of useful information. Kris had went on a delivery trip. He just hoped it wasn't Kim Min Seok being delivered to any one. He needed more information.


	4. Pictures

Tao tentatively knocked on the door to the Debriefing room. It's Yixing that opened it. They just look at each other for a few seconds. Tao used to believe that Jongdae was the most dangerous member of the group, because of his personality more than anything. He was mischievous and enjoyed messing with people.

Plus, he'd seen first hand what he'd do to an enemy that pushed him too far. Then he'd been unfortunate enough to witness an unsettling side of Yixing. Yixing who had an angel face and always seemed so sweet. Anyone who craved the sight of blood like that could only be considered a demon in his mind. It wasn't like the other members were innocent, but blood lust for the sake of the sight of blood was unnatural and he just couldn't understand it.

He'd been unable to look at him the same way again. Ever since that time, he's felt weary around him. He's not impolite to him when he's around, but that's because Tao's a kind person and frankly, he's scared of him. However, he can never just relax around him. As far as he knew, the Directive and possibly Luhan were the only other people who knew about that other side of Yixing.

Yixing took a step back and held the door open for him. He stepped inside. Clutching his laptop to his chest, he gave a small bow to both of them. "Jondae said you wanted to see me," he said.

The Directive was short for a woman and was shorter than all of the Initiative members. Five foot, to be exact. She had a round face and soft, feminine features. Even though she was thirty one years old, she still looked like she was in her early twenties. Being little and cute was one of the things that allowed her to fit in to Korean society so well.

She wasn't like some other foreigners that he'd seen. Her usual styles were elegant or feminine sporty. He'd never seen her wear those large brown contacts or any of the regular fad styles that foreigners were always wearing to try to appear Korean. She was an honorable woman who always respected others' cultures and never tried to pretend that she was anything, but American. In large part, this was what had helped her become so well accepted with most of the people she met.

Even Baekhyun, who was harsh in his judgments and hard to get close to, had respect for her. Today, she was wearing thick black frames, which made her blue eyes pop. Her long brown hair was in a high ponytail and she was surprisingly dressed casual. A black T-shirt that was a size too big and black jeans. The only thing on her feet was a pair of black socks and he frowned at her. Her appearance was usually very professional, but this was about Luhan.

When it came to him... He didn't really understand the thing between them or Yixing. Korean and Chinese cultures were very tentative in their approach to public displays of affection, so he'd never seen either of them kiss each other. On a few occasions, he had seen the three of them hold hands, give lingering hugs and cuddle. He didn't understand how three people could be in a relationship with each other and it was even more confusing, because from what he understood, Luhan and the Directive weren't intimate outside of Scenes.

Scenes had to do with BDSM and he didn't really understand that lifestyle either. He knows that there's more to BDSM than whips and chains, but he'd never been in a subject related relationship (or any relationship) or brave enough to seek out knowledge on the subject. Apparently, Yixing was Demisexual and... He shook his head. The whole thing was complicated.

What it all came down to was three people in a relationship that he didn't understand the dynamics to. When he thought about it too much he got embarrassed, so he tried to keep his mind on more appropriate things.

The Directive motioned to the couch. He sat down and Yixing joined her in the front of the room. "We reported Luhan missing this morning to the KPD. In three hours it's going to be all over the news. EXO is going to have to be briefed shortly to answer appropriately to any questions asked about the subject." She sighed.

He felt bad for her. She treated Luhan like he was her most precious possession. Perhaps possession was a negative description, but since her way of doing it was in adoration, it was acceptable in his mind. His heart stuttered in his chest as he thought of Kris. He knew what it was like to have someone treat you like you were the most important thing in their life. "That's not why you called me in here, is it?" He asked.

She chewed on her bottom lip for a few seconds, then sighed. When she spoke again, she sounded tired. "No. Luhan agreed to this mission. Becoming a target for The Ring was the outcome we all wanted. It was a success."

Her brows drew together and she looked angry. "However. Grabbing a celebrity in broad daylight is something that's damn near impossible to do. I want to know how they got passed security. I want to know about anything out of the ordinary. I want you to hack in to every suveillence system from every event that EXO and Luhan by himself has performed in for the last two months."

"I also want you to find out more about Kim Min Seok."

His eyes widened in surprise. "You mean the actor, Kim Min Seok? The one who just released that new movie, Ice Queen?" The guy was a phenomenal actor. He was well known for taking on emotional roles and for his alleged intensity while filming. His physical cuteness alone had given him icon status in a little over six months from the day of his debut.

His popularity had grown substantially and he was now known as Korean's Darling Prince. He was popularity. He was success. Everyone knew who he was. His disappearance had been one of the biggest blows to the nation in a decade.

His absence was a palpable thing and everyone mourned the loss of one it's most precious treasures.

"That's the one," she said. "I want to know everything, Tao. Both of their lives depend on what ever information you can give me."

He nodded. "Of course."

~

If he used his abilities too much, Luhan would become mentally drained, so he was being careful to pace himself. His range only stretched about the length of a small auditorium and he had to be at a mental peak to reach that. He'd trained a lot to be able to search through the crowds he performed for. Using single individuals as unknowing spies worked to his advantage, but it was a risky tool. If his spies got caught in compromising positions it would be bad for them.

It could possibly even get them killed. He didn't want someone to die because he forced them to make decisions that they usually wouldn't. Today, he just reached out to different areas of the factory. It kind of amused him that the guys who worked here could be having conversations like normal human beings, like how much they needed to clean their house or how naggy their mother was, when in reality, they were monsters who were kidnapping and selling people for profit. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed with his hands braced on his knees and his eyes closed.

The hum of the air conditioning was loud and he allowed it to blend in with the snippets of conversation flitting through his mind. He'd only been doing this for what felt like about ten minutes when he heard a clunk sound. He immediately opened his eyes and let his legs fall over the side of the bed. When the door opened he stood up. It was the blonde guy and two more guys that were dressed kind of like him.

One was masculine looking with short brown hair, full lips, ripped blue jeans and a sleeveless black band shirt that revealed his sides. The other had neon red hair that was styled forward. He had soft eyes and his full lips were naturally orange. He wore a shirt similiar to brown haired guy, but it didn't show off his sides. Blonde haired guy's appearance looked sloppy next to these other guys.

"Good morning," blonde haired guy said.

He watched him wearily as he walked over to stand in front of him.

"So, this is how this is going to work," he stated, matter-of-factly. He raised his hand, revealing a thin syringe.

Luhan eyes widened in shock and he raised his hands in defense. "Ww..what's that," he stuttered.

Blonde haired guy looked at it and then back up to him. His dark eyes were sparkling with amusement. He shrugged and said, "This is something that will make you a little bit more... pliant."

"Pliant?" He took a step back as the other two guys started walking towards him. He resisted when they tried to grab him and the struggle resulted with them pinning the top half of his body to the mattress. His face was being held down sideways by red haired guy and so was his right arm. Brown haired guy was kneeling on the mattress by his face and he was holding down his left arm.

He gritted his teeth as they fought him to straighten his left arm out. His face was being helled the other way and he didn't see the needle when it was inserted in his arm. He hissed at the initial sting. After that things seemed slow down. His eyes grew heavy, then things started to feel good.

The material of the blanket was thick and scratchy against his cheek. The warmth from the guys touching him was nice. Since he'd taken his jacket off he'd been kind of chilly. If he wore it, though, he got too hot, so it was one or the other. Too hot or kind of chilly. "Mm," he said, giving a soft, contented smile.

"Damn," one of the guys said. He didn't recognize the voice, so he knew it wasn't the blonde haired guy. "That's some good shit. It took like ten seconds, tops."

There was a chuckle, then he was being lifted to his feet. He felt dizzy for a second, but it soon retreated. When he blinked, it seemed to take forever to open his eyes back up. For a split second he thought that it actually had taken a long time to reopen his eyes. He realized that only a normal amount of time had passed once he noticed that the guys holding him were still in the same position they'd been in when he'd closed them. He looked at both of them and smiled lazily.

"Come on," blonde haired guy said to them.

Luhan eyes open slightly in surprise as they started to move forward. It was fun to walk with people holding on to him. He allowed them to guide him out in to the hallway. "Where are we going, guys?" The feel of their hands on his arms kept reminding him that they were there, so he couldn't stop looking at them.

Brown haired guys eyes were sparkly every time he looked back at him. He was attractive any way, but when he smiled at him like that he looked really good.

"We're going to take some pictures," a voice said on the other side of him. He looked from brown haired guy, to red headed guy.

"Selca," he said excitedly. His body felt heavy for a second and he sank in to it, making the guys have to hold on to him tighter so he wouldn't sink to the ground. He felt good, like he wanted to curl up and bask in the feeling of everything.

"Come on sleepy head," one of them said.

"There will be no Selca's today, sweet heart.

Who was talking to him by now didn't matter. He liked all of them. The hallway was pretty. It had cement walls and white tiled floor. Their footsteps were loud as they walked. The sight of a big open cement room made him stand up straighter. He remembered what they'd said before. "Selca," he said again.

"No Selca."

He pouted. "I like Selca's, though. Where's my phone?" His body wiggled as he tried to get his hands loose. "Phone phone..." The sound of someone snickering at him made him stop and look up. Sparkly eyed brown haired guy was smiling down at him again. "Hey," Luhan whispered to him.

"Hey," he said back, his smile turning in to a grin.

"I want to take pictures."

They suddenly stopped moving and he looked around curiously. There was a big garage door on the front wall. To the left was a bunch of chairs and a small coffee table. There were a lot of things over there, but Luhan didn't care enough to figure out what they were. He looked over and saw a white piece of fabric... no... white screen standing up and a mat rolled out in front of it.

Ah. So this is where the pictures were going to take place. They guided him over to it and blonde haired guy was suddenly standing in front of him. He blinked rapidly as his hands were suddenly there moving on his shirt. He was wearing a a charcoal gray button down over a white T-shirt and jeans. He watched with rapt fascination as his over shirt was unbuttoned and removed.

He giggled when they pulled his T-shirt off. Then there were fingers on the front of his jeans and he gasped as his zipper was suddenly pulled down. Vaguely, he remembered that he was supposed to be playing a part here, so he said, "Hey, what..." He reached for the hands that were now dipping in to the waist band of his jeans. "Don't..." Blonde hair was bright in his face. It was blonde haired guy and he roughly pushed Luhan's hands out of the way.

First his shoes were removed, then his jeans were pulled down and the air in the room made him shiver. Hands helled on to the hands around him to step out of them. He blinked down rapidly at his black briefs. The small amount of material left nothing to imagination and he felt exposed. This was the part where he had to concentrate, because where any one else would become embarrassed when they were exposed, he grew excited.

With this drug in his system, he couldn't act normal, but he could redirect his focus and act accordingly. He looked over at the photo area in wonder. "No Selca's," he whined. He actually really did want to take Selca's. He would take some with everyone.

Even blonde haired guy. He'd bet he could make him happy enough to give a real non-creepy smile. The ignored him and he was led to the photo area and told to stand straight forward. A small camera was brought out and connected to a stand. Biting his lip, he crossed his hands over his boxers and looked down. It was the illusion of embarrassment.

He opened his eyes wide when the flash went off. It wasn't a big flash, because they were using a small hand held camera, but it did remind him why he was here: Find Kris and Kim Min Seok.

"Drop your hands," blond haired guy said. His expression warned him that he'd be in trouble if he didn't cooperate.

He dropped them and looked to the side. Flash. They made him take one with him turned to both side, backwards, laying down. There were a few close ups.

"Alright Axel," blonde haired guy said. "Take him over there and feed him. Ben, go get the other guy."

They were saying something else, but Luhan wasn't listening. He was more focused on the sight of a big box of chicken. In the back of his mind he knew that something was important, but he couldn't put his finger on it. The box of chicken was sitting on a blue and white checkered blanket that was spread across the floor. He crawled on to it and frowned when brown haired guy grabbed the box of chicken and moved it away from him.

"The other guy has to eat, to, so I'm going to give you a few pieces. That way you don't eat it all."

"Why would I eat it all? I'm not rude." And he wasn't. Now that he knew there was another person, he would purposely save food for them. He would have done that even if he hadn't of been sure that they'd bring him over to eat with him.

He felt insulted so he sulked as he ate his chicken. Brown haired guy was really nice. He kept passing over napkins and he even helped him clean the grease off his hands when he was done. A few pieces of chicken weren't enough and he was surprised when the guy materialized more food in small styrofoam bowls. There was mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese, biscuits and even a chocolate chip cookie.

It was a feast and his mood improved significantly at the sight of chocolate. He felt crumbs so he ran his top teeth over his bottom lip to pull them in to his mouth. There was a commotion across the room and he blinked rapidly and leaned over to try and see what was going on. He couldn't see anything around the white screen.

"Stop," a voice yelled somewhere across the room and Luhan pouted. He was really curious. A few seconds later red head guy was struggling with a guy that was a few inches shorter than him. He blinks as new guy manages to get loose and punches red head guy in the face. His hands fly to his nose and Luhan smiles in amusement. So new guy was a fighter.

Brown hair guy goes over and they manage to subdue him. "Poo," he says, puffing his lips out even more. He watches as they inject the guy and he gets excited when they start bringing him his way. He struggles at first, but as the drug kicks in he goes lax in their arms. As soon as he's standing in front of him, Luhan recognizes him immediately.

It's him. The actor. Kim Min Seok. "Hi," he says, reaching for him. He gets confused when he starts to move around him and then he realizes that brown haired guy is setting him down.

"Oh," he whispers, because why would they just hand the guy to him. Groaning, he snuggles his face in to the blanket. It's soft and cold. He can feel how hard the floor is through it, but he doesn't care. It's all so amusing and he feels good.

He turns his face to the side and stretches his body out on the blanket. It's quiet for a few minutes. At least, he thinks it's a few minutes. His sense of time is severely disrupted in this state. "Mmm," he moans in to the blanket.

His body feels sluggish, but his mind is like a live wire. Full of life and his thoughts are racing.

"Hey hey." A voice says to him and they shake him a few times. It takes a ridiculous amount of self control to acknowledge them and not fall asleep. There's signs of a headache starting in the bottom part of his skull as he looks up. The new guy, no, Kim Min Seok is laying on his side and his eyes are heavy lidded.

It's hard to tell what he's thinking. Luhan wants to touch him, because he's there and he's close and he wants to make him react. He resists.

"Are you ok," he asks.

Luhan smiles at him. "Yeah," he whispers. "I feel good. Too good, actually."

Minseok nods in understanding. "How long have you been here?"

"Mm... couple days," he mumbles. He's starting to feel drowsy and he quickly pushes himself in to a sitting position. "You," he asks when he can think straight again.

"Few weeks."

Luhan can't resist any more. He reaches for the guys face. Minseok's heavy lidded eyes just blink as one of his hands smooth down his face. His skin is soft and his cheek are round and Luhan giggles, because he's so cute. "You know what," he whispers, sounding conspiratorial.

Minseok places his hand over Luhan's. He closes his eyes and nuzzles in to the touch. "This is supposed to be weird," he whispers back. "What?"

"M'sorry," Luhan apologizes and he is, but he can't pull away. Not now that he's made contact. "Oh..." He leans his forehead down on to his and it's nice being this close. "Um..." He can't remember what he was talking about. Oh! "Baozi," he whispers.

"What?" Minseok asks in confusion.

"You're face. It's round and cute, like a Baozi."

"A Baozi?"

"Yes," he giggles. "Like, steambun, hotbun." Oh, food. Abruptly, he sits up and Minseok's eyes widen in shock at the sudden movement. "Let's eat," he exclaims.

"See see." He pulls the box of chicken over and speaking of chicken, where was brown haired guy? Not that he was a chicken, but he'd been holding the chicken. There's talking and things moving behind him and he turns around to find brown haired guy talking to blonde haired guy. What ever they're doing isn't important to him right now. His mind is on food and his Baozi who he needed to feed.

And feed him he does. He's insistent about needing to nurture his new friend. Minseok doesn't seem to mind as he lets him feed him and stroke his hair and snuggle up to him and kiss him... He hadn't meant to do that. There's a moment where it's just lips pressed to lips and no thought. He'll wonder later if it isn't just a reaction to his proximity that made him do it.

Not that Minseok isn't attractive. His attraction to him is well established, but randomly kissing a stranger is the best way to get off to a bad start. Then, there's fingers in his hair and a hand on his cheek and warmth spreads along his mouth. He opens it and a tongue presses in to it. He moans the moment he registers that this is actually happening.

Minseok, the cute stranger is not offended or angry, he's kissing him back. The world tilts slightly and then there's cute little person in his lap. He wants to giggle at the way his mind describes Minseok in that moment, but he's too busy kissing him. It starts to feel like he's got a temperature as his whole body heats up. He doesn't feel the need to take this any further, because in this moment, this is good.

It's so good. Until it's not. There are voices around him and suddenly Minseok's warmth pulls away. He blinks his eyes open and realizes that brown haired guy and red haired guy are separating them. Red haired guy's nose is red and there's dried blood in his nostrils. He looks angry where brown haired guy looks amused.

So Minseok had busted red haired guys nose. He can't help, but smile as they turn to leave. Even if they're taking his Baozi with him. It's ok. He'll see him again soon.

They can borrow him. As long as they don't hurt him, because that would make him do something he really shouldn't. Like, make this entire place cave in. Yeah, that was a good thought. He lays down on his side and watched them strip Minseok's clothes off. Minseok isn't smiling or amused like he was, but he wasn't fighting them this time. Somewhere in between the flashing of the camera and watching Minseok change positions, Luhan fell asleep.


	5. Vagary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know this is shorter than most of the other chapters, but I'm having to get back in to the flow. The next one will be longer. ^_^ I just felt you all deserved an update, so here it is.

The crackling sound of static, the clicking sound of computer keys, the hissing sound of machinery: Tao was in his element. His office reflected everything that he was. Creative, intelligent, eccentric, sometimes a touch maniacal. His rings visible from a see through small jar made a pretty accessory to his desk as he typed perimeter after perimeter in to his command screen. The amount of recording data he had to go through was massive, so he'd brought a few extra screens out of storage to make his job easier. On one screen, he'd applied his facial recognizer program to.

It would pick out any one who appeared more than once to EXO's events, record them, then create a list for him to do back history on them later. On another screen, he'd applied a program that will search for any kind of electronic anomalies with in the system used to record EXO's live performance events. Essentially, this will tell him if any kind of spyware had been present while the performance were being recorded. The third extra screen was to increase his awareness time while he manually went through data. With the use of these effective tools and the fact that he rarely sleeps, if there was anything out of the ordinary, he would find it.

A few hours later, Tao groaned and stretched his arms over his head. Manually, he'd gotten through a hand full of mini events and he'd found nothing substantial. He opened the main drawer of his desk and pulled out a small bottle of eye drops. The first drop burns and he squeezes his eyes shut against the pain. After it stops, he blinks them open and applies a few more drops.

There's nothing better than refreshing his eyes after a good few hours in front of his computer screens. They're always left feeling cool and refreshed. It's almost like inserting a new pair of plush contacts. He stood up and left his office. Luckily, his progress relied heavily on auto programs, so he's allowed to leave for a small amount of time while they do their job. He really needed a pick me up.

Mad Maxy's is a convenient story on the corner of the next block. If they had a rewards system for the amount of slushies bought, he'd have racked up free purchases for life. He doesn't care what kind he gets, as long as it's blended ice with a sugary kick, he's satisfied. This time he bought three fourty-two ounce ones. One, Rasberry blue and the other two, Cherry.

He recognized the cashier. He's a short, pudgy man with golden wire framed glasses. Unlike the two women cashiers, he never smiled. The only responses he ever got from him was a grunt here and a huff as he swiped his card there. It didn't matter, though.

Making friends with some random unhappy stranger wasn't on his to-do list. He payed for his things and left the store. With his drinks hugged to his chest, he happily drank from the one in the middle, and made his way back to his office. He stashed two of the drinks away in the mini-fridge he kept hidden away from prying eyes and used the third one to get himself back to a more proficient functioning level.

~

After debriefing the initiative members, So-Mi watched them file out the door. The only person who'd been missing from the meeting was Tao. Since he wasn't a part of the public EXO group, it wasn't required for him to be present, but he usually made it a point to attend anyway. He'd been avoiding all of them ever since he found out about Kris's disappearance and she still felt a little tinge of guilt every time she thought about it. What she'd told him about the situation had been true, though.

They couldn't automatically jump to conclusions every time something didn't turn out exactly the way they expected it to. Kris was more than capable of taking care of himself and Tao was too sensitive when it came to him. Honestly, it made her worry. Tao was also impulsive and at times, could be short tempered. A part of her wanted to sit him down and have a good talk with him about the situation, but she wasn't sure if it would do any good.

He wasn't simply mad at them. He was furious. She was an Empath and she'd felt his emotions explode when she'd told him about Kris. His anger had raged and his sadness had washed over him like an ice cold river. He'd been horrified at the prospect of loosing him.

Because of her lifestyle, she understood what it was like for someone to be emotionally dependent on another person. That's how Luhan was with her. She knew that Tao was that way with Kris, but he was also a wild card. There was something else there. If her calculations were correct, then Kris meant more to Tao than he realized.

She feared how far he was willing to go to be reconnected with him. It was this fear that made her seek him out.

~

The world was distorted. A body lay with in a black shadow and a green aura surrounded it. There was no sound and as pressure built around him, threatening to crush him, his screams couldn't be heard. A vibration crunched the air over the top of him. He clawed at his chest as his heart threatened to burst from it. His throat became raw from screaming for help. Master, Lay, someone help him. He was trapped, confused, dying- worthless. Aaaagh-

Luhan woke to the sound of himself screaming. Tears were pouring down his face and the first thing he saw was the mirror by the door. He pitifully crawled out of bed and across the concrete floor to it. His reflection was distorted by rust stains and dust, but he could still make out the wetness on his cheeks and his puffy eyes. His skin looked almost green under the pore light.

Worthless- no! He wasn't worthless. He wasn't- So-Mi said... so. His chest heaved as he choked on a sob. He hadn't had this dream in years.

The reason he was having it now was because he was here, separated from her. His Master. The gentle look in her eyes and the soft curve of her smile. The warmth he always felt when she spoke to him. His arms ached from the muscle memory of needles piercing his them. Drugs. They kept injecting him with drugs.

He wasn't a drug addict. He'd never been one. He'd used them to cope. He didn't need them now or want them. Gritting his teeth, he pressed his head down on the counter and sucked in deep breaths to try and calm himself down.

His nerves and his mind was in overdrive. "Focus, Luhan," he commanded. "Focus." He gripped the edge of the counter and pressed his forehead harder in to it's surface. "You are free."

"You're ok. Think of Kris. Think of Min Seok." It took an agonizingly long time for his skull to stop feeling like it was going to explode and for his heart beat to return to normal. When they finally did, he took a shaky breath and raised his head.

His complexion still looked green, but he knew it was just from the pore lighting. He exhaled slowly, inhaled deeply. He was ok. The tap worked when he tried it and he ran cold water over his face. Another deep breath. There was no hand towel, so he had to use his shirt to dry his face off.

Another deep breath. He was ok. The room was warmer than it had been and he wondered if it was because his freak out had caused his body temperature to rise or if they'd decided to raise the air temperature. He was ok. Memories from the photo experience starting filtering in to his brain and he blinked as he remembered that he had found him. Kim Min Seok was here.

He was safe. It took a little effort, but he managed to expand his mind beyond the walls of his room. The hallway was empty. His breathing increased and he had to stop. Once again, the drug they'd injected him with made it impossible for him to endure using his abilities.

Feeling exhausted, he went back to the bed and crawled in to it. Groaning, he rolled over and closed his eyes. He needed to find Kris. He also needed to get a message to So-Mi. Ho Li Ma was still under his power. Right now, he needed to rest.

He'd take care of business when he felt better.


	6. Roommate

"Shit," Axel said, rubbing his arms. "It's always so fucking cold in here." He looked at the guy asleep on the mattress. He was covered by a thin blanket that couldn't possibly keep him warm. "We're going to have to move him to a different room until we figure out what's wrong with the air conditioning."

Ben rubbed his own arms as they walked across the room. He glared at the little shit that had busted his nose the day before. How did someone so small always cause them so many problems? "I hate this motherfucker," he said.

Laughing, Axel knelt down and shook him awake.

~

Minseok growled as the cold water poured down on his body. They'd injected him again and he was too weak to fight back. When they let him go, he moved out of the stream and pressed himself against the wall, not caring if he fell or not.

He'd rather slither painfully across the floor than have them help him. He hated all of them. His teeth started chattering and with a shaky hand, he reached out and adjusted the temperature. It was the first shower he'd had in about a week and it felt good on his muscles. Nothing mattered in that moment. Not that he was being held captive, not that he was naked and being watched, not what ever else they had planned for him.

The sound of the door opening made him blink his eyes open. He looked over his shoulder and was surprised to see another guy being lead towards him. Blinking the water from his eyes, he turned fully to look at him. The memories from the day before came to him like a thickly coated dream. He remembered the feel of his hand on his face and the feel of his lips on his-

He shook his head, because he couldn't believe that he had done that. Even now, his body was responding to the memories and he didn't understand it. He was a stranger. Even if they were in the same situation, it didn't make sense to just make out with someone and crawl in to their lap. Shit! He had done that. He was so embarrassed.

~

Luhan hadn't felt like resisting when they woken him up and told him that he was going to be taking a shower. He'd made it clear that he didn't need to be drugged, even going so far as to beg them not to inject him. He wasn't ashamed. His mind still felt kind of foggy and he just wanted to feel hot water on his skin. He wanted to be able to think clearly.

The sight of a wet Kim Min Seok made him feel warm all over. He was beautiful. The guy wouldn't look him in the eye and he made it a point to not look at him for too long. "I've got it," he insisted when his captors started trying to undress him. He just didn't have the patience to deal with them touching him right now.

He just needed to do stuff for himself. Honestly, in his current mind state, he felt very submissive. He was afraid that if he didn't keep a little distance from them that he'd start asking them to do things that could make him even worse off. Right now, he needed So-Mi. As he unbuttoned his shirt, he thought about the feel of the paddle against his ass.

His brows were heavily furrowed and he bit his lip as he tried to focus. He needed! He needed so bad. He purposely took the time to fold both of his shirts up and blonde haired guy took them from him. Shakily, he removed his jeans and folded them up to. He handed them over and took the shower beside Kim Min Seok.

The hot water crashed down on top of him and he pressed his head in to the wall. It felt so good. He listened to the sound of the stream as it smashed in to the floor. The sound was deliciously loud and it served as the perfect distraction for his wandering mind. There was a tingling feeling in the back of his skull and he focused on it. Even with his eyes closed, he could recognize the feeling of his pupils dilating.

He only needed a little bit longer and he'd be able to use his abilities again. The sound of the door slamming made him look behind him. Blinking past the water drops on his eyelashes and saw that his captors were gone. He knows they wouldn't just leave them in here and a second later, he heared a clunking sound. They'd locked them in here. He narrowed his eyes.

Something important had to be going on, but what?

"Hey, are you ok?"

Luhan blinked and looked over at Kim Min Seok. "Ne'?

He blinked rapidly and looked away for a second, clearly embarrassed.

He wished that he could be more comfortable around him. There weren't very many shy people back home and he wasn't used to dealing with it. It made him feel awkward. "What did you say?"

He was biting the side of his bottom lip when he looked back at him. Tentatively, he said, "I just wanted to know if you were ok. You don't look like you feel so good."

Oh. Smiling softly, he said, "I'm ok. It's just..." The thought of getting injected again pissed him off. He tried not to let his anger show as he said, "I just really don't like the drugs they keep giving me. They... make me feel sick."

Kim Min Seok frowned. He nodded and looked down, seemingly uncomfortable.

"Are you ok?" He blinked in surprise when the guy jumped from the sound of his voice. "I'm sorry," he quickly apologized.

"No no," he insisted, looking back at him. "It's not you. Well... not exactly." The way his face squished up made Luhan smile at him. "Do you remember what happened yesterday?"

His lips pressed out and his brows furrowed as he thought about the day before. Pictures, food, red headed guy getting punched in the face, oh... He cleared his throat. "Did me kissing you weird you out?" He winced when Kim Min Seok's eyes widened and he regretted the fact that he was so blunt about things.

An awkward silence stretched out between them and Luhan didn't know how to fix the situation. He could only continue to be honest. "I'm sorry if it did," he said. "I'm not going to blame it on the drugs. Although, I don't usually go around kissing random strangers. I can blame that on the drugs. I won't do it again, though." He smiled then. "Unless you ask me to."

"Oh." He blinked in surprised, then turned his head to look at the wall.

Luhan was sure that he'd officially made the situation worse. He was just being honest, so he didn't feel as bad about it this time. He ran his fingers through his hair, smiling. Kim Min Seok was his age, so there was no way he was a virgin. However, it was possible that he'd never been with a man before. It was understandable to be freaked out if you thought the same sex was hitting on you.

"You can relax," he said. He smiled gently when he looked back at him in question. "Like I said before. You don't have to feel awkward around me. I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to."

~

That night Luhan's mind was buzzing. He was standing at the far end of the room when it had started. Emotions, thoughts, voices were all flitting through his mind and because of the lingering haze, it was difficult to separate them all. From what he'd gotten so far, something was happening. He groaned as the onslaught of emotions caused his head to feel like it was being squeezed by a rubber band.

Rubbing his temples, he knelt down beside the bed and buried his face in the blanket. Besides the developing headache, he felt much better than he had earlier. His hands had stopped shaking and his legs didn't feel like jello. He cleared his throat and turned his head to the side so he could breath. The air in the room smelled stale and he wondered how long it'd been empty before they'd put him in here.

The buzz in his mind increased and his eyes widened. The sound of the door being unlocked surprised him. He jolted back and quickly stood up. Kim Min Seok was pushed inside his room and the door was instantly closed back. He looked just as shocked as he was. "What...?"

He blinked, looked at the door, then shrugged. Looking back at him, he said, "They said something about my room being too cold. I guess they don't want me to die of pneumonia before they... do whatever it is that they're going to do to me." He looked at the bed and his expression hardened.

Luhan also looked at the bed. He blinked. There was no way he was sleeping on the floor. Not for anyone. He didn't know what Kim Min Seok was thinking, but that wasn't happening. The floor was too cold. He'd just have to suck it up and act like a man.

"Are you ok?" He asked him.

Without looking at him, he said, "Yeah. I'm... good."

"This doesn't have to be weird, you know."

His expression was unreadable when he looked at him again. "Just so you know, if you try anything funny with me, I will kick your ass."

A full on grin split his face. "Deal." He liked this guy.

~

Tao jumped when he nearly collided with the Directive. They both blinked wide eyed at each other.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry," he said quickly, bowing each time he said it.

She took a step back and said, "It's ok. I was coming to talk to you, any way."

He straightened up. "Me," he asked. "Why?"

"I feel like we need to talk. You've been avoiding me ever since you found out about Kris."

His expression hardened. "I don't really feel like there's anything to say about that. You all kept it a secret from me."

She sighed. "I didn't even tell Luhan. I know what you're thinking. It wasn't about protocol. We're not the government, Tao. We don't function like mindless, heartless drones."

"We're people with feelings. Do you really think I'd keep something like that from you if I thought it was serious? Do you not believe in Kris?"

His eyes widened and anger started to bubble in stomach. "What does that mean," he demanded.

"Do you not think he can take care of himself?"

"Of course he can!"

"Then exactly what is it that you're freaking out about?"

His mouth snapped shut with an audible click. What was she getting at? She knew how much Kris meant to him.

"Let's go for a walk."

He let out a little squeak as she grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him forward. She didn't let go until they were outside. The sun was bright to his eyes after being inside his office for so long.

"Come on."

He watched her walk away from him and didn't follow her. When she kept walking away from him, he realized that she wasn't going to look back. He wondered if she really cared rather he actually followed her or not.

"Wait," he called out. She didn't stop walking and he had to run to catch up to her. For a short person, she walked fast. "Why do you want to walk?"

"I want you to talk to me," she said simply.

"I already have talked to you." He was confused.

"You've expressed your current dislike of me, but not what's really bothering you."

He ground his teeth together before speaking again. "I'm angry because I feel betrayed."

She stopped so fast he almost walked past her. "You think I betrayed you?" She demanded. Her expression made him take a step back. "Is that what you really think?"

His mouth opened and closed a couple times as he tried to answer her. He did feel betrayed. His face grew warm and he raised his hands to his cheeks. His eyes widened when she took a step towards him.

"Last time I checked," she said, sounding angry. "I don't answer to you. I-" she pointed to herself. "-am the Directive and I didn't become Directive for no reason. I've done everything in the world for you, Tao."

"I gave you a place to live. I gave you a job. You never would have met Kris if it wasn't for me. He was my friend first. Or have you forgotten that?"

His eyes started stinging and he blinked them to keep his tears from falling. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"Then how did you mean it? Do I not seem like I'm capable of doing my job? Do you think you can do it better? Do you want to trade jobs with me for a day?"

His eyes widened and he shook his head roughly. "No no! I would never..."

"I know you would never." She just glared at him for a few seconds. By the time she spoke again, he was shaking. He didn't know if she noticed or if she even cared, but her expression softened. "I'm sorry, Tao."

"I don't mean to come off harsh, but you have to realize that this is about more than just you. We're all in this together. If I'm going to be the leader, you have to trust me. I know what I'm doing. I sent one of the most important people in my heart to go and find him."

"I have to believe that he can take care of himself to. Otherwise, I'd drive myself insane worrying about it."

He couldn't contain his tears anymore. They started rolling down his cheeks in a steady stream and he felt so bad. He'd been horrible to her and to everyone else. She was right. They were doing their best and he was just making things worse by acting the way he was.

"I'm sorry," he managed to say in between sobs.

She sighed and pulled him in to a hug. "It's ok," she said gently, rubbing his back. "You just really need to think about things before you react, honey."

Honey? He was pretty sure that was an English word and it sounded funny. When he stopped crying, he pulled back and looked at her. Her expression was soft and he opened his mouth to apologize again, but she cut him off by pulling him forward by his wrist again.

"I wasn't kidding about that walk," she said as she lead him forward. He allowed himself to be drug along, happy that she didn't hate him.

~

Minseok watched Luhan sleep. They hadn't talked much since he'd been forced in to this room and it was mostly because Luhan had said he had a headache. He wondered if it wasn't worse than that, because when he crawled in to bed, his eyes had been shut, as if the simple act of having them open caused him pain. Maybe he got migraines or maybe it had to do with the drugs those assholes kept giving him. He also wondered if he'd come off as harsh earlier when he'd threatened to beat him up if he tried anything funny.

The things he'd said to him had made him feel awkward and embarrassed all over again, but it wasn't like he was some kind of creep that had forced himself on him. He specifically remembered crawling in to his lap and sticking his tongue in his mouth. He'd done that. He decided that when he woke up that he was going to try and be more nice to him.


	7. A New Dawn

Minseok has tried not to. He keeps looking away, scanning his eyes along the cement walls of this guys room, taking in the crease between each one where they're professionally placed upon and around one another. He's even tried replaying all of the reasons he should be pissed of for being here and there are many. The drugs he keeps getting injected with. The fact that he's being helled prison in general. The fuck heads who keep him here and make his life a living hell everytime he sees there faces.

None of it works, though. His eyes keep going back to the guy's face whose asleep beside him. The reason being that he was so damn pretty. He was and it wasn't not normal. A guy shouldn't have a face that looked like that. When he was awake, his personality gave him enough reservations to keep the way he reacted around him in check.

Yes, he couldn't stop himself from blushing everytime he thought back to the day he'd stuck his tongue down the guys throat, but that wasn't the point. The guy had a way about him that left him feeling uncertain and self-conscious. He seemed confident in a way that made him feel weary of exactly what he's going to do next. In that self assured way of his, he'd made it pretty clear that he found him attractive and would do... what ever he wanted him to do to him. What Ever, as in- and no.

He wasn't going to let his mind go there. Once again, his eyes went to the guys sleeping face. His features were soft. Too soft to register as anything, but feminine in his mind. He didn't even have the prominate jaw line that always tipped the scale between male and female. His thick hair was a dark shade of brown that was currently puffy in some areas and sticking out in others from sleep. Minseok swallowed hard as a soft little sound came from the guys throat.

A throat that expanded as he swallowed a second later. Then, he was slowly running the tip of his tongue over his bottom lip. His body shifted slightly, jostling the mattress a bit, then his eyelids opened. He quickly looked away, not wanting to get caught staring at him. Even if he had been staring at him long enough to be considered creepy, he wasn't a pervert.

Besides, the guy would probably like it and having another awkward conversation with him was not the way he wanted to start his morning. Or evening. He had no way of telling what time it actually was. Minseok had his legs bent, hands braced on his knees. His eyes widened as the mattress moved again and the other guy let out a deep moan slash groan as he stretched.

The sound of his voice was a mixture between deep and high and came out a unique blend of smoky even from making only that noise. It wasn't like Minseok was apposed to male to male company, but in this situation, it just seemed innopropriate. He wasn't going to become one of those desperate captives that gave in to promiscuouty because of the fact that he and another person were locked in a room together. He wasn't desperate nor was he pathetic.

~

Luhan lowered his arms back to the mattress. The after effects of his spine popping left a pleasant buzz along his skin. He had to give it to his captors. They knew how to pick a bed. Spoiling their prisoners this much had to be a mistake on their part. Or possibly not, seeing as how they were trying to make as much money off of them as possible.

It wouldn't look good for them to present their merchandise all hunched over from sleeping on a cot or hard bed. He gave a little smile at the thought. The pillow rustled as he turned his head to the side. The actor, Kim Minseok was sitting on the other side of the mattress. He looked tense, kind of angry and he could tell that was not looking at him on purpose.

"Goodmorning," he said. His eyes were still so heavy from sleep that he allowed them to close again. It was silent again until he heard the shifting of bare feet on the sheets.

"Goodmorning," Minseok replied and the hesistant mono-toned Korean syllables amused him. He didn't know if the guy was acting like this because of being attracted to him or if there was another reason. It was a common thing for straight men to feel awkward around him, because of his looks. Not that he was assuming that he was straight. It just was a thing where his life was concerned.

Opening his eyes again, the dull green-yellow glow of the bulb over the sink reminded him of the dream he'd had the other night and how panicked he'd been upon waking up. The sheet rose with his chest as he breathed in through his nose. What ever residual feelings he'd had left over from that dream were gone. Now, he had more important things to focus on. One, find Kris. Two, get Kim Minseok out of here. In that order.

~

Sometimes, Tao dreamed of strong hands touching him, squeezing his muscles, slow caresses and forceful actions that spread his legs wide enough to cause them to strain. It felt good and then it hurt, but he never fought back. He just stayed there. Remained pliant. During what ever was being done to him, doing anything to stop it never crossed his mind.

The dreams weren't visual. He didn't see himself or the person doing these things to him. It was all darkness. There was a present knowledge of existance. No faces, no moments of action to give away what was coming next. He couldn't prepare himself, so he never expected what came next.

What he did know was that it was done by one person. A person with strong hands, big hands that took up varying degrees of his body depended on where they touched him. There were nights like right now when he woke up hot and feeling uncomfortable in his own skin. He didn't understand it. It left him feeling frustrated.

Frustrated that he hadn't wanted to wake up. Frustration sometimes so strong that he woke up angry with violent impulses. There were a few dents in the metal sheeting that he used to house his sleeping area, where he'd kicked or punched it. On more than one occasion he'd had to take time to pick up and reorganize documents that he'd knocked off of his desk or desks, depending on the case he had been working on. Tonight, he worked his jaw, eyes widened in annoyance as he looked over the edge of his twin sized mattress at the floor.

He was burning up, his tank top sticking to him from sweat and he wanted to punch something. Usually, he ignored the fully formed erections that he woke up with, but tonight, he didn't care. Angrily, he quickly stripped all of his clothes off and slathered his hand in saliva. He gripped his erection tightly and barred his teeth as his frustration level flared a level higher at the sensation.

In the back of his mind, he knew that stroking himself fast and hard would not get him off. It didn't stop him from beginning this way though. He just wanted it gone. Right now what he needed was to burn off this anger boiling inside of him and pleasure seemed like the way to go. Even though he had an erection, he had no reason to be aroused. This wasn't exciting, he wasn't excited.

He groaned as too much pleasure built up at once and his spine bowed. "Oh, fuck," he ground out. Whining, he started stroking himself slower. He let out a shaky exhale and shuttered at the change in pace. Seething, he lay back on the bed and ran the fingernails from his free hand over his stomach.

Pushing them against his flesh harder made the hair on the back of his neck raise and curiously, he pressed them down harder. As he wracked them down his side, his erection began to tingle and his thighs tensed in response. A low burn where he'd scratched himself began to form slowly and it was an interesting contrast to the tingling in his erection and the buzzing where his neck hairs stood on ends. He scratched himself again, stroked himself slowly in tandem with the movement. The fleeting thought that he was getting off to pain was quickly replaced with the thought that he wasn't hurting himself.

This felt good. He shivered, brought his free hand to one of the insides of his thighs and scraped his nails, started from behind his thigh and working his way to the front of it. His eyebrows drew together tightly as he moaned. Goosebumps spread from the back of his neck, down his spine, over his arms. He still felt the pent up frustration from earlier, but he was no longer angry.

Stroking himself faster brought the burn from his scratches more to the forefront of his mind. The cool tingling sensation from pleasure and the low burn from his scratches had him keening, his back arching off the bed. His muscles tensed, then his vision went white. Pleasure rolled over him so strongly that he didn't feel himself ejaculate. The only thing he felt was the way his body temperature sky rocketed, the way his skin pulsed as he was swept along on a tide of ecstacy.

He floated in a space where even though he could feel the pleasure, his mind and body were seperated. Time, he thought with in that space. There was something about time. The image of a gold pocket watched appeared and was gone just as quickly. Coming back to himself was slow, sensual. At first, his eyelids were too heavy, thick with arousal to open.

His body felt like stone as he lay there. When he could move, it was simply to shuffle back under his blanket. Before he fell asleep he realized that his thoughts about time had been his subconscious trying to remind him that his power was time. He had lost all control and his mind had reacted on instinct to try and keep him from losing himself. Too tired to smile from amusement, he simply acknowledged the fact and fell asleep.

~

_**Yifan.** _

Kris froze in his steps towards his office as the familiar voice spoke inside his mind. **_Daye-Mi._** There was only one way that he could be speaking this way to him and that was if he was here.

**_It's about time._ **


	8. It's That Time

Yifan was sitting at his desk, looking at the photos he’d been given. They were of Daye-Mi and Kim Min Seok. Both of them were dressed only in their boxers and looked like they were high on something. Their eyes were half lidded, pupils dilated, and their cheeks were flushed. They were both the perfect fresh meat for the perverts that this business thrived off of. If he didn’t have absolute confidence in the fact that Daye-Mi could handle this situation, he would have been working on a way to get him out of here.

Yifan’s small office was connected to the outside of the left side of the factory. It was big enough to barely maneuver around his desk. There was a pathetic excuse for a bathroom and a tiny space for a bed that his feet hung off the edge of. It wasn’t much, but he used it as a solace from the every day shit that he had to put up with. 

Shit Case Number One: Price Sevilla, thirty four, American. He was overweight, had a guttural laugh that he had to hear way too often, because the man was arrogant and thought that he was the funniest thing in the world and God’s gift to women. It was disgusting. Shit Case Number Two: Ash Sevilla or Kang Ash-Il. He was the Korean, weird ass, adopted spoiled rich kid of the big boss, Price Sevilla, who pretty much did what ever he wanted.

He was twenty-four and beyond being generally socially awkward and spoiled, he was a sadistic bastard that you had to keep your eye on. Daye-Mi had said he had kind of felt him up one time. He hadn’t minded, of course, typical, but the fact that he hadn’t done anything else was a miracle. His father must have put some kind of leash on him. It was a good thing to. Last and most importantly, his biggest Shit Case was Price Sevilla himself. 

He was some American big shot. His family was rich, so him owning property like big trading companies or anything for that matter, wasn’t a surprise. Yifan had only seen his face in pictures. The guy was smart. Stagner was his right hand man, the one who did all the dirty work. Sevilla never made an appearance, never gave the police a reason to connect him to the bad things he did. 

Like running an international human trafficking ring. It was because of agencies like EXO that they’d gained all of the information about the man that they had. They operated under the radar and could do things that the government couldn’t and wouldn’t do to get the job done.

The hair on the back of Yifan’s neck began to rise. He grimaced and a second later he heard Daye-Mi’s voice in his head. Again. He’d explained everything to him already. Why was he bothering him?

Daye-Mi: That’s mean. I haven’t seen you in fifty-thousand years. The least you could do is be nice to me. 

Yifan rolled his eyes. “You’re always so touchy, Luhan,” he thought back. He was sure to emphasize his real name, because it sounded so weird. He’d known Daye-Mi since he was nineteen and he’d known him for about six before he’d learned what his real name was. He’d met him a few years after he’d come back from the military. 

The Directive had become one of his allies in a secret mission that they had taken on while he was still in the service. Real live fucking vampires had started picking off soldiers in his camp and from the surrounding villages in the area. It’s also when he’d met the enigmatic Yixing. While both of them had taken on different names and appearances, neither one of them ever seemed to age. Daye-Mi, on the other hand. 

He’d grown from a scrawny, temperamental teenager to an annoyingly alluring, talented individual. The little shit knew he looked good and knew what he was capable of. It had even almost worked on him a time or two. Regardless, he thought of him as more of an adopted nephew. He said adopted, because of the attraction he felt for him. He couldn’t, in good conscious, feel attraction to his flesh and blood. 

It was what it was. It was weird. He tried not to think about it.

Daye-Mi: Now, you’re being even meaner.

Yifan: ‘Meaner’ is not a word. 

Daye-Mi: I’m bored.

Yifan: Why don’t you entertain yourself with the actor.

Daye-Mi: He won’t play with me. He’s totally Vanilla. 

He wasn’t touching that one. “Have you figured out how you’re going to get out of here yet?”

Daye-Mi: Prude. 

Yifan could hear the pout in his voice. 

Daye-Me: As long as they don’t inject either of us with anything else, I could sneak out a window or walk out the back door. Jump over the fence and be gone. I can’t believe they don’t have cameras in this place. It’s makes sense, though. If those tapes ever got out they’d be in deep shit. Maybe, I could get Tao to install some-

“Daye-Mi, focus,” he said out loud. 

.......

Daye-Mi: Did you say something? I can pick up brain waves. I can’t hear from far away distances.

Yifan: You’re bound and determined to drive me insane, aren’t you? This is why you chose this job. You want me to pull all my hair out so you can make fun of me for being bald. 

Daye-Mi: Hahahaha! No, but thanks for the image. Now, I have something to amuse me while I waste away in a windowless room. Do you know that I’ve been here for a week? A week, Yifan! I’m seriously bored. I want to go home. So, what I really want to know is why couldn’t you have gotten in touch with someone from the initiative. 

Yifan: *mental sigh* As you know, we don’t use phones for contact. I can’t just send a letter. It could be intercepted. I’m sure there are eyes on me, somewhere. Sevilla hasn’t been able to pull this shit off without being good at what he does. Very good. EXO is busy. I knew that the Directive would send someone in and I counted on that. I counted on them getting the actor out. I didn’t expect them to send you. Now, that you’re here, stop annoying me. Do your job. Entertain yourself somehow in the mean time. 

The overhead lights began to flicker and keys on his keyboard began to move. He glared at his computer screen as a long line of Lala’s began to scroll across it. 

Yifan: Seriously!

The Lala’s stopped and BORED spelled itself out. 

Yifan: Ok, I get it. You’re bored. Would you please stop before someone comes in here? 

Daye-Mi: Fine.

The lights quit flickering and nothing else started spelling itself on his screen.

Daye-Mi: Just think about that next time you want to stick your foot in your mouth. 

Then, there was silence. “Finally,” Yifan said. He pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned back in his chair. Tao had once said something about being able to block people from entering his mind. Yifan could do that to a point with other people, but he’d never had a serious reason to do it with Daye-Mi. Maybe, now was the time. When he got home, he was going to ask Tao to teach him how. 

He wondered how he was doing. The first week he’d been here had been the hardest. When they weren’t working, Tao was all but literally attached to his hip and he missed that. Tao was quiet. They didn’t need to use words to fill up the silence and preferred it that way. He also missed Tao’s eccentricities. 

There was no telling what he had gotten up to in that lab of his. Small puffs of air left his nose as he huffed in amusement at the thought. The last time he’d seen him, he’d been installing some kind of tube thing. He didn’t know exactly what it was, but there was a tube, chunks of metal and a shit ton of wires. What ever it was, it was going to be impressive. 

What ever Tao did usually was. Once he set his mind to something, there was no stopping him.

~

10:30 AM 

Tao was sitting on the empty desk behind the array of computer screens he’d set up. His back was hunched over, legs crossed and he was on his laptop. He was wearing loose ripped up jeans, long scrunched down white socks and no shirt. He hadn’t even put on his bracelets or rings yet. His bed head hair was falling messily in his eyes, but he didn’t care. 

Last night had been... different. As he went through website after website trying to figure out... something about what he had discovered, his hand kept unconsciously going back to his stomach. There were three red lines running down at an angle, starting from below his ribcage and curling around his left side. He’d scratched himself harder than he’d thought. Last night, scratching himself had felt good in the moment, but now... 

Now, when he touched them, he got different delicious reactions from them. If he touched them gently, it aroused him slightly, a gentle shiver would run down his spine. When he increased the pressure of his touches, it actually made him want to keen. It was... intriguing. So far, his search had kept rerouting him to the same kind of topics: Sensation Play, Pleasure Pain and Sado-Masochism. 

Even though, he knew that these things had to do with BDSM, the dots had never connected in his brain until now. Now, he felt like he’d been enlightened in some way. He wasn’t sure what to do about it. There was no denying that he liked the intensity that came from the scratches. He’d never experienced an orgasm like that and he wanted to incorporate the method in to his life. 

His leg jiggled as he debated on doing what he’d been thinking about doing since he’d woken up that morning. Talking to the Directive about it. She was a Dom and knew about this stuff from experience. If there was anyone he could get information from, it was her. It still made him nervous. He wasn’t a people person. 

Plus, he didn’t know her like that. Would asking her about it be inappropriate? Just because she lived an alternative life style didn’t mean that she was open to talking about those things. Even if all he wanted was information about the lifestyle and where he should start. It wasn’t like he was asking her about her personal life. 

Sighing, he closed his laptop. He looked around his office, taking in all the paperwork, the wires, the electronic parts, the headless manikins hanging from the opposite wall. He really needed to get to work on the revolving mechanism for that.

~

The Gym was less of a room and more of an open space that almost resembled an open grassy field. D.O. kept the grass that made up the floor of half of the room healthy and it was bright green. Equally green Ivy grew on the walls on that side and little purple flowers peeked out from between strands. The other half of the floor was concrete. At one time, the entire floor had been a dark brown sand. 

They had to change it because during practice it became dust like and left them coughing. Having their Safe House underground made it difficult to create a proper ventilation system. The concrete had been added about six months after The Safe House had been built. The grass and Ivy were new additions. So-Mi had seen it before, but it hadn’t looked as thick and healthy as it did now. 

She smiled on her way to her locker. The lockers were a deep blue color. Each one was small, because there was no reason to leave a lot of stuff in them. Everyone here had their own room, even though some preferred to share rooms. Like Chanyeol and Baekhyun who were a couple and D.O. and Kai who enjoyed peace and quiet. 

Sehun was temperamental and would use his powers to forcefully eject anyone out who dared think about sharing a room with him. No one but Suho could put up with Chen’s loudness, so they shared a room. Tao and Kris usually slept in Kris’s room when they weren’t working and Tao didn’t just work, he was married to his office, so they even sometimes camped out in there. It was amusing to find them sleeping between desks under a roughly made blanket fort. She can’t remember how many times she’s found them like that. 

When Yixing didn’t sleep with her and Daye-Mi, he was usually passed out on the Common Room couch, game controller in hand. He and Chanyeol loved to hold competitions that usually blew the roof off the place. Not literally, of course. Although, there were a few times when Chanyeol had lit the couch on fire or Chen had fried one of their controllers or the entire game system. Those times had taught them to keep extra’s around and that also included TV’s. Tao kept them in a vault in his office. 

Six years ago, the idea of EXO had been just a vague thought. Then, Yixing had shown up with Chen, Baekhyun and Chanyeol and it had all begun. All three of them were well off with money from their previous particular lines of work, but she hadn’t needed it. Where they were rich, Yixing was loaded. She had known him a long time and still didn’t know everything about him. She respected his privacy and appreciated whatever details about his life that he chose to relinquish. 

Everyone had their reasons for not talking about certain things, herself included. When it came to money, she wasn’t bad off herself. Especially, now. In their line of work, people paid big time for their original brand of service. They didn’t just help anyone, though. 

Their clients were screened very carefully. Most of them didn’t come to them. It was usually Yixing that found them. Kris was the one who checked them out. Then it was up to the group, as a collective, to decide on rather they wanted to help them or not. Even if only one or two people were the ones going to be going into the Field. 

This group effort was what kept them as close and devoted as they were. They were a family with a solid foundation. They all knew what it was like to be out in the world alone and even though some of them denied how happy they were here, they would destroy anything and anyone who threatened to disrupt the balance they’d found. She tried to be the middle ground and keep them all in line. When any of them got antsy, she relied on her Empathy to smooth out the waves and remind them of exactly why they were here, how much they meant to her and to everyone else. 

So-Mi pulled her gym clothes out and changed in to them. There was need to go to a bathroom to change. She was the only one underground at the moment. Tao was above ground in his office and she didn’t think he’d be coming down here anytime soon. When he did train, it was usually outside. She stepped in to the boxing ring and rolled her shoulders a few times. 

It wasn’t that she minded being alone, but her version of alone was usually with Daye-Mi around her. He talked enough to fill the silence around them, even if she wasn’t paying attention most of the time. It wasn’t like he minded. Talking amused him, even if it was to himself. She laughed at the thought and brought her foot slightly back, finding her balance. 

It was too quiet. The only sound being the deep hum from vehicles moving around above their heads. She focused on the sound as she began to stretch. Her fighting style was vicious. She liked to be up close and personal with her opponents. 

When she wasn’t using her blades, she liked to use her body. Because of her small stature, she was fast and always had been. Before she left home, she knew she was fast. Back then she hadn’t known any particular fighting style, but she knew that if she ever trained that she’d be damned good. It was an instinct that she’d only questioned a couple times, wondering if she wasn’t mentally insane for thinking something like that. 

Once she did start to train, she excelled, just like she knew she would and all her worries were put to rest. When she didn’t have a sparring partner, she took her time to practice on her extensions, the feel of her muscles shifting as she slowly moved each limb according to her chosen fighting style. Right now, she was working in reminiscence of her Kick-Boxing days. Because of her speed, she could kick as fast as she could punch. She extended each arm out and allowed the burn in her muscles to develop, then switched to her legs. Training had allowed her body to develop the natural ability to bend. 

When Tao found her, she had one leg stretched behind and in front of her in a front split, her upper half lowered over her front leg. Without looking at him, she asked, “Did you need something?” He’d already given her a file for the day, so why was he here? 

“I want to ask you about... BDSM.”

She froze and blinked a few times, because had she just heard that right? When she looked at him, his shoulders were straight back, his whole body stiff. He was nervous, but determined. Curiosity curled its way around her and she smiled at him. Usually, in a situation like this she tried to keep a straight face, because the ones who usually inquired about the subject were skittish, afraid of being made fun of or about being rejected.

The fact that it was Tao asking, made the whole thing sweet somehow. If he was determined, then he’d figured out something about himself and she was very curios as to what that something was. “Ok,” she said. “Shoot.” 

______

Luhan was laying on the bed. Kris was a buttface. He rolled over and looked at Kim Min Seok, who was washing his face at the sink. The loose jeans and long sleeved dress shirt he was wearing was wrinkled and his hair was disheveled from sleep. Minus the wrinkled clothes, it was a good look for him. He couldn’t see his face, but he knew his slanted eyes were puffy from sleep. 

Neither one of them could help sleeping as much as they did, because, for one, there was no light to give them any sense of time and two, it was so fucking boring. Why couldn’t he have been locked in a room with someone who like to play? At least, then, he could get off or get them off or both. He had free reign right now and it was being severely wasted on a scaredy cat. Messing with him crossed his mind and he smiled. What would he do if he just got close to him? 

He imagined his beautiful eyes widening in shock and his cheeks turning pink in embarrassment. The guy could act like he didn’t want him all he wanted, but he knew better. His embarrassment was brought on from the very fact that he did want him. As the temptation to go to him grew stronger, his orders came back to him, ruining his mood. Now that he knew that Kris was safe, he needed to get Kim Min Seok out of here. 

When Luhan did stop beside Kim Min Seok, it wasn’t to play with him, unfortunately. It was to unlock the door. He touched the metal slat where the door handle would be if there had of been one on their side and let his mind expand beyond it. The lock on the outside was a long piece of smooth metal that was roughly spray painted white. It was in the up position and he flattened his palm on the door, turned it quickly to the side and the lock turned at the same time. 

He felt the mechanism in the door move with it and they were free. When he looked back at Minseok, he was staring at him, probably confused about what was happening. “I was sent to get you out of here,” he said. “Before you ask questions, let’s do that escape thing, huh?”

“Escape?” 

The casual way he said it told him what he needed to know. Now that getting away was an option and the fact that it had happened so quickly, with no warning, had left him in shock. Plus, there was that pesky fear that always arose in a situation like this, that this might not work. Yada yada. Semantics. He’d be ok. Once he got back home and had time to readjust. 

“Yep,” he smiled at him. “You coming?”

Luhan had already checked the hallways, so he knew they were clear when he opened the door. Minseok still seemed like he was in shock as he led them to the left. There was a large window at the end of it on the right. “You ok,” he whispered anyway. Maybe he could distract him enough to get him to snap out of it. Being in that state was not a good thing when they were trying to make an escape. 

It made reaction time too slow. Not that he expected him to have to do anything beside follow along behind him, but after so many years of training, the lesson was ingrained in his brain. Minseok still didn’t say anything, but he kept following him, so that was good. The hallway wasn’t long and the corner where the window was at was in view the whole time. Luhan let his mind expand slightly as he walked. 

He didn’t feel anyone around the corners. There was a hallway opposite from the part of the wall where the window was and he couldn’t resist glancing down it before he pushed the window up. It was old and rusted and that was something he should have thought about. Groaning, he gave up pushing on it and used his abilities to shatter the whole thing. He did it carefully, allowing it to crack slowly, then he quietly, first moved the screen to the ground, then all of the broken shards. 

Next was the empty metal frame. He crawled out of the window, broken glass tinkling under his shoes as they touched the ground and looked over the edge. A grin split his face when he saw Minseok. His eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open. Yep, awesomeness. 

He felt giddy as he motioned for him to follow him. Minseok stared at him for a few more seconds, then his entire demeanor changed. His eyes hardened, his jaw closed and he quickly climbed over the edge and landed on his feet beside him. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” he said and Luhan loved his tone. He liked confidence. It made him feel like they were on the same page for the first time since they’d met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plus, I've been doing this thing called 'Character Questionaire (Q&A)' - Basically, you ask questions to the characters of the story and they answer them 'in character'. ;) It's fun. I saw another writer do it and it's so fun, so I wanted to start doing it. 
> 
> Here's the questions I've gotten so far. 
> 
> Character Questionaire (Q&A)
> 
> #1: Luhan, why don't you just use your power to break through the wall and get Minseok out of there? 
> 
> Luhan: *Gives a small smile "I could do that, but I still need to talk to Kris. I have to find out why he just disappeared. I know he went on a trip with one of the Boss's of this place, but I don't know why or what they did. Also, blowing a hole in the wall isn't discrete. We try to keep what we can do a secret. You can guess why."
> 
> #2: Minseok, why are you being so stubborn towards Luhan? You know you like him.
> 
> Minseok: *His eyes widen and he blushes from embarrassment. "I barely know him. Regardless, what kind of guy do you think I am? I'm not just going to have sex with some GUY, because he's hot. There's this thing called respect. And I don't like him. He's... He's... I don't even know why I'm having this conversation with you. I don't even know you." *Looks away.
> 
> #3: So, Tao, I thought you didn't like BDSM.
> 
> Tao: *Blinks a few times, uncomprehindingly. "I'm sorry. Was that a question?"
> 
> #4: Yixing, why aren't you around more?
> 
> Yixing: *Looks at you, expression blank. Blinks a couple times, then gives a slow, lazy smile. "Thank you for asking. You're so kind. I work mostly with the group. I perform with them, so I go where they go. The Directive takes care of most of the missions. We stay in contact. Our alternative lifestyle is based around a deeper connection, more than having to be with in touching distance, so it isn't a problem." 
> 
> #5: Luhan, I like it when you call Minseok 'Baozi'.
> 
> Luhan: *Looks at you suspiciously. "How do you know I called him that?" *Looks around the room. "Are you watching us? Are you a pervert?" *Lets out a little laugh. "Kinky. I think I like you." 
> 
> ******
> 
> Q)
> 
> Luhan, what age were you when you discovered that you had powers? 
> 
> A)
> 
> Luhan: I don't really remember. I think that they were always there, but I didn't realize what they were. I used to think I was crazy and had like Schizophrenia or something. I sometimes wonder if it wasn't my fault that things happened at home like they did... aaaand I've said too much. *Smiles awkwardly. 
> 
> Q)
> 
> Hey Minseok! Have you ever been with a guy before? Like, all the way?
> 
> A)
> 
> Minseok: ..... *Glares at you. 
> 
> Q)
> 
> Directive lady - hey. Um... Are you and Yixing ever going to get married? Are you going to have babies? Have you ever had a pregnancy scare with Yixing...*gasps... or Luhan?
> 
> A)
> 
> So-Mi: If marriage happens, it happens. If not, then I'm ok with it. And the kids things - I prefer not to talk about it. But keep in mind, there's this thing called condoms. 
> 
> Q)
> 
> Hey, Tao... Do you want Kris to be your Dom?
> 
> A)
> 
> Tao: *Blushes furiously *Squeaks out 'What?'  
> ************  
> You can leave your own questions in the Comment section or PM them to me.
> 
> Aaaand Yaaaay new chapter. Another coming very soon. I feel like this is part 1 of 2.. sort of. I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me how much you loved it in the lovely Comment box...yes? Right. Right? XP


	9. Volume

The Directive had invited Tao to her personal home (the one she, Luhan and Yixing owned). It was the first time he’d ever been there and since they barely ever left the office or The Hide-out, this wasn’t uncommon. In fact, most members of EXO had probably never been there. The house was along the outskirts of the western part of Seoul a few miles away from the nearest smaller suburban area. There were no neighbors and he could understand why that could be useful, what with their lifestyle (and their line of work). 

The first thing she’d done when they’d arrived was give him a tour and the house was immaculate, but more in detail than in space; it had an owners’ touch, mixed with stainless steel appliances, natural deep and cherry wood cabinets, a light gray Islands made of Marble and matching counter-tops. Besides the Character, their really wasn’t much to it. A pristine kitchen; everything facing forwards to his left. A door-less entry way that led directly across the narrow hallway in to the wide Living-Room, at the end of the hallway was a tiny separated space where Luhan’s game set-up was. The TV and stand were placed against the side of the stairs, so you had to pass in front of it to get to the second floor. 

He was surprised at how small the space was. Maybe Luhan liked having his own space and seeing as how they had plenty of money to spare, he guessed that he was either particular about it or not particular at all. Luhan had always seemed like an easy going guy, minus the whining he tended to do around certain individuals. Like, The Directive, Yixing and Kris. Not to mention, he could be a bit dramatic at times, but that was to be expected when he was completely spoiled. 

There were only rooms on the second floor. The biggest one being the one the three of them shared and five extra guest rooms. They each used one of the spare rooms on occasions when they felt like having ‘me’ space. There was a half bathroom on the first floor attached to the Living-Room, a guest one on the second floor at the end of the hallway and a huge decked out bathroom with in the main bedroom. It had a large step-in shower with three metal heads, a Jacuzzi-styled bathtub, a long countered, two person sink and all toiletries were arranged in perfect order. There was an abundance of everything: Shampoo’s, Conditioners, Body-washes, Bubble-bath’s, razors, lotions. 

What wasn’t currently being used was kept on a wide door-less shelf that hung above the toilet. They also had Luffa’s, large rectangular shaped sponges and even back-cleaners of all colors, shapes and sizes. It was the ultimate relaxation bathroom. Tao had never been one to buy more than what he needed; he was a minimalist, but the sight of it made him want to think about reconsidering that particular life choice. At least, where his bathroom was concerned. 

The Directive had explained that they used the sliding glass door, which was attached to the kitchen, to enter the house. The reason being, because it was the only floor that wasn’t covered in carpet. After they’d stepped inside, he’d removed his boots and placed them against the back wall. She’d done the same to her own shoes; a pair of polished, low black heels. After the tour, they’d come back to the kitchen. 

He was sitting in one of the tall leather Island chairs as she poured him some water. It intrigued him when she took the time to delicately run a dry towel around the glass before she handed it to him. He’d seen her do similar things around the office; always taking extra care to clean things up immediately or to reorganize something that had already been organized just to make it look better. This was the first time that he realized that her behavior had to, in part, come from her alternative profession. “Is it all about the aesthetics,” he asked. “Or do you have OCD?”

She sniffed in amusement and said, “Both.”

He nodded once and took a sip of his water. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her go around the Island. The air shifted as she turned the other seat around. She had to use the metal frame to step up, before sitting down. Amused, he turned his chair to face her. “What must it be like to be that short,” he teased. 

Glaring half-heatedly, she told him to ‘shut it’. 

He let out a little laugh and sat his glass down. “So...” 

Turning her chair again to face him, she said, “Show me.” 

His brows furrowed in confusion. She pointed to his stomach and he understood. When he’d found her in the gym, he hadn’t relayed explicit details. That would’ve been embarrassing, but he had told her that because of current events, he’d come to appreciate her lifestyle and that he would like to understand it better. Tao touched the scratch marks through his shirt, enjoying the little tingle he got from it. 

“Um...” He’d known she was going to want to see them, but now that he actually had to show her, he was feeling shy about it.

“You don’t have to take your shirt off,” she said. “Not even your jacket. I need to see them to know what you’re talking about.”

That made him feel minutely better about the situation. Blowing out a deep breath to center himself, he gripped the bottom left half of his shirt and raised it up to below his chest. Her calm expression didn’t change as she looked at the scratches. He tensed up as she raised her hands towards them. 

Her eyes flicked up to his and she asked, “May I?”

The fact that she had asked before touching made him relax just a little more. It was enough for him to allow it. He nodded. His heart beat sped up slightly as he watched her fingertips get closer. They were cool to the touch and the difference in the temperature to his skin made his stomach muscles twitch. She looked up at him again in question. He nodded again. 

She used two fingers to lightly press down on the skin above and below each scratch. “How does that feel,” she asked. Her presses became slower and a little harder. 

He’d expected the same kind of reaction he kept getting when he touched them, but instead it just felt nice. Even though she wasn’t looking directly at him, he looked at her eyes as he answered. “Just, like you’re touching me,” he said.

Nodding, she moved her fingers to the actual scratch. His eyes widened the moment he realized what she was doing and he immediately looked at her fingers again. As she pressed again, he internally panicked, because he was afraid that he was going to feel pleasure from it. It was embarrassing. A couple of seconds passed by and... nothing. 

He didn’t get it. 

“You look confused,” she said, removing her hand. She sat back in her seat. Her expression was still calm, nothing had happened and yet he still found himself blushing. He didn’t know if she realized this or simply chose not to comment on it. “What did you expect,” she asked gently. 

His tongue slipped out of his mouth and brought his bottom lip underneath his top teeth. He bit down for a second as he considered the best way to answer her question. It wasn’t that he felt uncomfortable so much as the whole thing was new to him and he didn’t know her like this. Plus, he’d rarely ever talked to anyone about anything concerning sex or other forms of pleasure-seeking. Just considering talking about it made him feel awkward. 

The silence stretched on. 

The Directive interjected by saying, “What do you focus on more when ‘you’ touch them? The arousal or the other physical sensations you experience?”

Grimacing, he asked. “What do you mean?” Dropping his shirt, he thought he knew what she was talking about, but he wanted to be sure.

“I mean, tingles, the hair on your body standing up, the shivers you get up and down your spine, all of the good stuff. Getting a Hard-on isn’t the main focus of pleasure. Even if most people forget that. Usually, those are the ones that are completely Vanilla.”

It took a lot of self control to keep his eyes from bugging out of his head. The awkwardness he’d been feeling was back to being embarrassment. Why the hell had he convinced himself to talk to her again? His next question was more of a reflex than curiosity. “Vanilla?”

She smiled then, her eyes sparkling with amusement. The smile faded a few seconds later. “Just how much did you read up on this, Tao?”

“I read enough,” he said and he didn’t mean for it to sound defensive, but it did. “I mean,” he corrected. “I read a lot, but I’ve only had a day, so...”

Her eyes widened slightly. When her face immediately became neutral again, he blinked. She had serious self control over her expressions and he had to admit, it was impressive. It also made him feel slightly wary, but for reasons unrelated to this situation. 

When she spoke again, she said everything very carefully. “You’ve seriously only been interested in BDSM... for a day?” 

“Yeah.”

Licking her lips, she looked away from him for a few seconds. Her eyes glazed over, as if she was lost in thought and he crossed his legs to get rid of the tension it created. Had he said something wrong, done something wrong?

“Ok,” she said, looking back at him. Her eyes seemed more intense this time, like she’d come to some kind of resolution and he couldn’t help, but lean forward a little bit with anticipation. “So, you’re interested,” she continued. “I get that. You want to know more about BDSM.”

“Besides information, is there anything else I can do for you? Reading books and gaining experience are two different things. I don’t know exactly what kind of answer you’re searching for, but I’ll do my best to help you out. So, tell me. What exactly, today, can I do for you?”

There was an air of finality to what she said. Tao felt it sink like a stone in his stomach and his heart skipped a beat. Was that a little bit of panic he was feeling? What was it being caused from? What ‘was’ he hoping to get out of this and in what way could that help him today? 

She was right on every accord. Reading ‘About’s’ and ‘How-To’s’ weren’t the same as experiencing something first hand. His leg bounced slightly as he really thought about all of this. He knew he was being offered an opportunity here. The only question was: Did he want to take it?

No. There was a more prominent question and it was blaring over everything; Everything that she’d said, that he’d said: over every single thing connected to this that he had thought about, repressed, discovered and experienced through out his entire life. This was a defining moment and he could either let it pass him by or he could take it. That blaring question was ‘Am I brave enough to take it?’ He wasn’t a coward.

Tao took a deep, calming breath. When he spoke, his voice came out strong the way he intended, because he’d made up his mind. Now, the direction this went in would be up to her. “While it wasn’t my intention and I never had the misconception that you would do anything, but give me information, I was wondering exactly how far you’re willing to teach me? Do you...” 

He shook his head. “Are you offering to give me experience? If not, would you be willing to recommend somewhere for me to gain it elsewhere?”

“Oo, Tao,” she said instantly. She was smiling, bigger this time than the entire time he’d been here. “Do you have a way with words.” 

His ears turned red and he instantly looked down at his hands.

“If you were my Sub,” she continued. “and you communicated like that all the time, you’d be just as spoiled as Luhan.” 

“Eeeeh?” His head snapped up and he stared at her in shock. 

She threw her head back and laughed. “Don’t look so surprised,” she said. “You’re intelligent, attractive, sweet and yes, submissive, but in a loyal way, not the cliched pitiful way.”

“S-submissive,” he stuttered. “I’m not...” His mouth snapped shut at the pointed look she gave him. It made him vaguely uncomfortable to admit what he’d always known. He flexed his jaw as he gave a single nod. 

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” she said gently. “You know that, right?”

He didn’t know how to respond to that, so he remained silent. 

“Dom Sub relationships is all about power exchange. You both take care of each other.”

“T-th-...” He bit his lip. Only when he thought his words would come out right, did he attempt to speak again. “That sounds nice.”

“It is. Neither side takes more than the other is willing to give. There are boundaries. That’s why it’s important to only have a partner who has the utmost respect for you. In return, you respect them as well.”

“I’m sure you’re aware of some of the horror stories that float about mentioning people who get the hell beat out of them or even die, because some asshole either didn’t give a shit or didn’t know what the hell they were doing. I would much more prefer you to come to me, then to go to anyone else. I only trust people so far and when it comes to The Scene, I only trust me. That is unless I know a person inside and out. When it comes to what’s Mine, no one touches them.”

“I don’t share Luhan and I never will. You are not mine, Tao, but I will help you. I don’t expect anything out of you. What you want, I’ll give, because in a sense, you are Mine. You’re part of EXO and we’re a family. Where this may sound a bit melodramatic, it is what is.”

“Do you accept the offer to gain experience from me- Yes or No?”

Tao felt a little overwhelmed, but mostly he just felt... special. It was strange and seemed so simple. He’d never expected to hear anything like that. After all the years he’d worked with in The Initiative, he’d always felt appreciated, but he hadn’t realized the extent of it. “Yes,” he said and he meant it. 

Having uttered his acceptance, he felt his heart swell in happiness. His eyes stung a little bit and he couldn’t believe he was getting this emotional about it. 

If the Directive noticed his on-set emotions, she didn’t comment on them. “Ok, then,” she said. “Now, for the reason I brought you here. Would you like to see the tools of the trade?” 

His eyes widened and she laughed again. 

“Don’t worry. We’re only looking. And remember- I will do absolutely nothing that you don’t want me to.” 

~

“...I figured that would happen,’ Yixing said. He was talking on his cellphone to So-Mi. The inflection of her voice was calm, nearly void of emotion. To anyone else it might have sounded like she wasn’t interesting in the topic of their conversation. The fact that she’d called him a second time in less than a three day period, told him everything. She was interested. She was intrigued. 

“I always knew he was submissive, but I never thought he was a Masochist.” She was silent for a few seconds, then said, “At least, not at this level.”

Yixing had taken EXO to a Fair tonight. The charity event they’d participated in had ended about six hours ago. They’d all gone back to their hotel for showers and naps. This was their last night here and coincidentally, this Fair also ended tonight. Coming here had been a last minute decision. 

He spotted D.O. and Jongin at a Food Trailer. Jongin grinned as D.O. handed him a hotdog on a stick. Even from this distance, Yixing could tell how white Jongin’s teeth were. It was kind of ridiculous how attractive that kid was. That ‘kid’ was actually nineteen, but he acted younger, therefore, the nickname ‘kid’ was fitting.

“So,” he continued. “What are you going to do about it?” There was something in her next silence that made him pay more attention. What was she up to?

“The scratches he created on himself are ‘blood’ red, Yixing,” she said. 

He felt his own blood heat up and he had to take in a deep breath before he could speak again. “You’re going to talk to him about Blood-Play, aren’t you?”

“It was an idea.”

He swallowed. The image of little rivulets of blood running down Tao’s flesh made goosebumps form on his arms. When he spoke again, his voice came out thick. “Has he agreed to it?” 

“Of course, you would know that I’ve already spoken to him about it.” When she realized that he wasn’t going to comment, she sighed. “He’s agreed,” she answered. 

Finding someone who was interested in BDSM was rare. Finding someone who naturally leaned towards Submission, Masochism and Blood-Play? It was even more rare. Even though, as of yet, Yixing couldn’t participate in any way, he still felt like he’d gained something new and exciting. The very idea that such a rare gem had not only been discovered, but had freely walked in to the lions den and offered himself up to be played with- It was tantalizing. There was no reason to say anything else. 

This knowledge had made his day. He heard her side of the connection end a second later and he shakily lowered his cellphone to watch the green Call In Progress turn to a red Call Ended. 

“Fuck...” he whispered. He felt hot and cold at the same time and a tingling sensation was working its way down in to his groin. Thank fuck this was his last day away from home for awhile. 

~

A loud humming sound could be heard through the walls that Luhan and Minseok passed. Did all of their air conditioners sound like that? It sounded like they were going to rumble themselves to death. They were leaned down and moving behind some kind of curved metal. There was a long line of them. 

Each curve was shaped like an upside-down ‘U’. It was bolted in to the the same kind of metal on the ground. There was some type of sponge-like material sloppily duct-taped to the top of each curve. Heat radiated off of them and he wondered what the hell they were.

“There’s the door,” Luhan whispered. He pointed outwards, hinting at it’s location, because from Minseok’s angle behind him, he couldn’t see it. The entire outside area was empty, as dead as he remembered from all those times he’d used his abilities to survey it. Most of the workers stayed around the back portion of the fence, where the gate slide back enough to allow bigger vehicles to come in. Probably shipments of some sort. It wasn’t in his job description, so naturally he didn’t care. 

In front of them, on the other side of the fence, was a tall street-lamp that sat close enough to the fence that the bulb part hung just inside it, illuminating the patch of grass below it. Behind it, was concrete that looked like it’d once been a parking-lot. 

From their position, it stretched out vertically, width wise. To their right side, at the end of all of that, still outside the fence, was the street. The Factory was settled amongst a collection of storage spaces. It’s all they could make out right now. “Come on,” Luhan said. 

He stepped out from behind the metal and used his eyes to scan the area, just in case. From a straight up angle, he felt more secure about their position. Minseok fell in step behind him as he ran for the door. 

~

Kris walked out of his bathroom, steam trailing behind him. He was running a brush through his hair. The cooler air of his office felt good after being cooped up in such a small hot space. The shower had relieved some of the stress that had built up in his shoulder over the last week, though, so he wasn’t complaining. Sitting his brush down on the edge of his desk, he pulled his desk chair out. His brows drew together as he sat down. Something felt off. 

The pictures of Luhan and Minseok were sitting on his desk. If it were up to him, they’d be face down, but he didn’t want anyone to see that and think that he felt sorry for them. That would make him look weak. So, no. He kept them in plain view, spread out, to look like he enjoyed what he was seeing. Like, he kept looking at them. 

Like, he was just as perverted as the rest of them were. A shiver worked its way down his spine and his eyes widened. Something was very off. He had no warning before Daye-Mi’s voice spoke in his head. It was loud. Every hair on his body stood up. 

He only said one word: KRIS! He sounded desperate, like something bad had happened and he needed him, now. There was a resounding awareness that remained in his head for a few seconds afterward. Then it was quiet again. Something warm landed on his hand and he looked down at it. It was blood. 

He lifted his hand and touched his nose. It’s what was bleeding. His head felt like the inside of his skull had expanded slightly from the volume of Daye-Mi’s plea. It took him a few minutes to react. Shakily, he used his chair to push himself to his feet and on shaky legs, he made his way around his desk and out of his office. 

On bare feet, he walked towards the other side of the factory. He felt drawn to go this way. His heart beat sped up and he came to a screeching hault when he saw it. One section of the fence had been knocked down, there was twisted metal and large clumps of grass strewn along the ground. The bald spot in the grass drew in at the sides near him and spread out as it traveled back. 

It looked like... Daye-Mi had used his power to push something away from him. The clumps of grass were near the place where the fence used to be. The twisted metal looked like a bi-product of his power exploding out of him and it getting hit with it. Kris looked back at the bald spot. He used his gaze to follow it’s trail. 

His head must have been more fuzzy than he’d thought, because only now was he noticing that the missing section of fencing was laying flat a few feet back on the other side of the fence. He squinted, making sure it wasn’t just a trick of the light to explain what else he was seeing. No. He almost tripped over his own feet as he ran towards it. There was a person laying on the fencing. 

They were laying long way at the upper half of it and their back was curved towards him, like they’d tried to tuck in to themselves when they were thrown. Or pushed away. It was the actor, Kim Min-Seok. Daye-Mi had pushed him away from himself and the attacker. He’d gotten him far enough away to make retrieving him take up extra time. 

If he wasn’t so worried about him, he would have been proud of him. Now, he not only had to figure out who the attacker was, but he had a second problem. What the fuck was he supposed to do with the actor now? Take him back to Daye-Mi’s room? Abandon his Cover and take him to HQ? Craaaaap.


	10. Bad Dragon

 

 **The long awaited chapter is here.  Yay.   Warning for speaking of Rape, as in 'it happened and doesn't show details'... plus... it's Luhan... so... does he care?  'Meh.  Anywho... enjoy.  And Tao and Kris in the same scenes ;)  Yay.**    

* * *

~

    Luhan's eyes were closed.  He heard the sound of dripping water.  There was the caped on feeling of dried blood in his nostrils and at the corners of his mouth.  He hurt all over.  Kris had said this guy was a sadistic son-of-a-bitch and he hadn't been exaggerating.  He'd been raped (That had been more for his own comfort than his, but thankfully, he had prepared him), beaten with a whip (Ow - 'nuff said), kicked while he was down (Meh, wasn't the first time and probably wouldn't be the last).    
    Blonde Haired guy or Ash Sevilla, as Kris had informed him, had left him here.  The cement floor was cold on his naked body.  He wasn't so much curled up on the floor as limply laying there.  He didn't have the strength to move, and the one time he'd tried he'd been reminded of exactly why it was better to stay still.  He'd endured torture before.    
    Except it'd been in the form of pleasure.  Regardless, his body turned pain in to pleasure.  This reminded him of how he'd met So-Mi.  Although, he'd been too high to have a full recollection of that night.  This time, even though his mind was a little foggy, he remembered everything.  Ash Sevilla, that sadistic fuck.  If anyone besides the people he chose touched him he took it personally.    
    The drug in his system had worn off a little bit.  It was only a matter of time.  This guy didn't know who he was messing with.

 

~

 

    Because Jongin could teleport the Members could go back and forth according to their schedules.  Tao could hear the sound of the video game being played on the other side of the room.  He heard Chanyeol laughing and Chen yelling.  There was a sound of an explosion.  
    "You suck," Chen said.  
    Chanyeol laughed again.    
    Tao was sitting at the table facing them, but his attention was on his laptop.  He rarely felt cooped up in his office, but this was one of those times.  It didn't mean he'd stopped working.  He had the video playback on Mute.  Sound didn't matter.  All that mattered was what he saw.    
    A blinking red dot appeared on the upper left hand corner of his screen and his eyes immediately flicked to it.  It was the alert system for his office.  Including him, three people had access to it.  Even still, if someone managed to walk through the door it was because he allowed it.  He didn't appreciate his personal space being invaded.    
    He narrowed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and then closed his laptop.  He caught tendrils of black smoke out of the corner of his left eye.  It was Jongin and he'd teleported from an unknown location to the kitchen.  Adrenaline was already building as he crossed the room.  He took the elevator up to the ground floor.  A wooden wall stood in front of him and a black access panel was on the right side of it.    
    He punched in the code and the false wall slid open.  Outside city lights made So-Mi's desk, which had become messy in the last couple of days, visible.  She'd been pouring over all the files he kept giving her.  He felt the air change behind him and there was a click sound.  The false wall had closed.  It took another code to get out of her office.    
    There were unused and occupied offices to his left and right.  The walls were made of glass.  It was past nine so everyone who wasn't a Member of Exo had already gone home.  He took another elevator down a floor.  The hallway carpet was a lesser quality.  It was dark red, and he liked it better than the pristine light gray everywhere else.    
    At the end he opened a heavy metal door.  This room had once been used for large conference meetings, and besides a few desks that were being stored it was empty.  The walls were maintained, so they were freshly painted a light yellow color.    
    He pushed a set of swinging metal doors open to reveal a set of much bigger metal doors.  His access code wasn't one, but three different codes.  He put them in, and there was a hissing sound as the doors began to move inwards.  As he waited he thought about someone being in his office.  They were either a genius or someone he'd given his code to.    
    Like he'd said, counting him, there were three people who had it.  The Directive, who was down below with Yixing. So, that meant-  He rushed in and froze.  Kris was standing at his main desk, the middle drawer was open, and he was holding his pocket watch.  "Gege," he said in shock.    
    Startled, Kris dropped the pocket watch and Tao's eyes widened.  He watched it fall and land on the the hard floor, he heard the sound of the glass face break and the pinging sound of it's insides separating from their appropriate places.  Kris was looking at it in horror.  His eyes flicked up to his.  Tao's stomach dropped at the ball of white light that was forming beside Kris's shoulder.    
    He ran towards him.  Wind ripped around them with a howl.  Tao grabbed Kris's arm and the ball of light quickly expanded.  It was a portal.  "You idiot," he said loudly.  
    He tightened his grip because he knew what was coming.  He felt Kris's muscle tense under his hand.    
    "Hold on to me," he yelled.  Kris wrapped his other arm around his waist.  As the portal began to pull them towards it he knew there was no point in trying to resist.  As soon as they passed through to the other side the light blinked, and disappeared.    
    Tao's pocket watch lay there with it's little springs and wheels scattered over it.  In the middle was a smooth stone.  The dark and light purple energy inside of it moved in a frenzied circle, grew brighter, and then faded to black.

  
   
~

 

    The light sound of shoes moving on concrete stirred Luhan out of sleep.  His body felt like ice and the leg and arm he was laying on was tingling uncomfortably.  His eye lids fluttered half way open.  Where he was and what he was going through exploded through his mind and he snapped his eyes the rest of the way open.  He watch black jean covered knees bend down by his head, and then he felt a pin prick pain in his arm.    
    No, his mind screamed.  He'd been injected again.  There was a fleeting moment where he realized that he'd had the ability to use his power.  And he'd wasted the opportunity by falling asleep.  Everything slowed down.  Ash Sevilla's voice sounded deep and distorted, like he was talking to him through a large pipe.  
    He heard, "Do-ah... yoooou... knoooow why... I... ...here."  He must have realized that he couldn't focus and the sound of his footsteps sounded as deep as his voice had.  Luhan's eyes felt unfocused as he attempted to see where he was going.  It looked like he was leaving the room again.  Either he'd used a different drug than the previous ones or this was the strongest dose yet.    
    He couldn't differentiate between what he assumed he was seeing and what may have been his thoughts.  There was an uncomfortable stoniness along his skin, and he had a brief moment of awareness where he knew he should be concerned about it.  The world jolted, and then he felt lighter.

 

~

 

    Kris felt helpless.  Different colors:  Red, purple, black, brown, and white, were whipping past him.  He heard voices, so many voices, and they were moving just as fast.  He didn't know rather he was falling or going forward.  There was a gripping sensation along his body and it's what was propelling him along.    
    "Tao," he yelled.  He didn't respond and dread dropped like a stone in to his stomach.  He tried to turn to look for him, but he didn't have anything to grab on to.  Gold began to grow in the distance and his fast beating heart started pounding.  The gold became shrouded as a wispy black shape moved in front of it.    
    He was moving towards it and he couldn't stop.  He flailed, kicked his feet - it didn't work.  As he got closer his helplessness turned to horror.  It had a sickly gray, skeletal torso and face.  It's mouth was a black hole and it had a fog-like tail.    
    It was staying in one place and not being pulled by some unknown force like he was.  What the hell was it?  He threw his arms over his face and cried out.  White light burst through the air.  He was frozen in fear and couldn't look to see what it was.    
    He heard a inhuman scream that could break glass.  It became lower as he was pulled away from it.  He lowered his arms and the gold color was even closer.  "I'm going to die," his mind screamed.  The closer he got to it the larger it became.    
    This was it.  There was no preparing for something like this.  Once again he threw his arms over his face.  He heard a growl and felt something jerk the collar of his shirt back.  No.    
    The black wispy monster thing had a hold of him and he couldn't fight back.  He was tossed to the side.  Colors more vivid and voices louder than before assaulted his senses.  His breath was knocked out of him as he landed on something solid.  He heard a crunch sound beside him.    
    He couldn't look, not because he didn't want to, but because he was physically incapable.  He struggled to pull air back in to his lungs.  The monster had followed him.  But why had he heard that sound?  It didn't have legs, which gave it no reason to land.  
    And he didn't know if it could stand even if it wanted to.  He needed to see it.  He had to try and fight back.  He didn't know how to kill it.  If it took him out, the least he could say was that he fucking tried.  He forced his head up.    
    He saw a white leather coat, thick white work boots, a single dangling silver earring made of sharp metal, and all of it was softly glowing.  "Tao," he said in confusion, and the lack of oxygen made it come out as more of a wheeze.  The pain in his lungs didn't overshadow the happiness he felt for seeing him .  Tao was crouched a few away and he was faced to the front.  His head was bent and his eyes were closed.  
    He was breathing hard.  There was sweat on his forehead.  The glow began to slowly recede, along with the white of his clothes and the silver color of his earring.  The coat and boots became their usual color of well worn black, his earrings their usual faded gold.  Just when Kris's excitement at seeing him reached its peek, all of the strength seemed to drain out of him.  He listed to the left and fell over.    
    "Tao."  He crawled over to him and hovered his hands over his face.  "What the...?  Tao."  He checked his pulse.    
    It was steady.  His breathing had returned to normal.  "Tao," he said loudly.  He didn't move, because he was unconscious.  And he looked pale. Why?    
    What was wrong with him?    
    "Tao."

 

~

  
   
    Once again Luhan heard the sound of dripping water, except this time he was waking up to it.  His shoulders ached and his hands were tingling from numbness.  He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the concrete floor he'd quickly become familiar with.  It felt like fire was spreading through his shoulders and he looked up.  His arms were suspended above his head by leather cuffs.  
    They were connected to short chains attached to a metal bar.  The bar stretched out  on both sides and then down in to the floor.  It was thin, but he could feel how sturdy it was.  He squinted at the dim overhead light and it made his head swim.  Groaning, he looked back down.  
    Something felt off.  He wiggled his toes- "Ah," he said and it came out as more of a croak.  While he'd been unconscious he'd been hanging here, literally.  His feet were bent under and the concrete had been digging into his skin.  Seething, he brought his feet forward and place them upright.    
    It took most of the strain off of his arms.  Even though there was a painful pin prick sensation in them and his legs it felt amazing.  The cool air was soothing the wounds on his back.  He felt a dull ache inside of him, reminding him of what he'd endured so far.  He clenched his internal muscles and moaned.    
    Whatever this guy was trying to prove or accomplish he was failing miserably.  He licked his lips and his tongue felt as dry as they did.  He wondered where he was.  It didn't make sense for him move him to a different location.  He had been moved to different room, though.    
    There had only been a couch in the other one.  Surprisingly, a quality one that spoke of real money.  Which is where the first part of  his torture had taken place.  Being whipped and getting kicked around had been on the floor.  He sighed.    
    He wondered if this guy would bring him some food.  His stomach felt empty.

 

~

 

     Kris had carried Tao over so he could sit against a wall.  He'd laid him down beside him.  His face was relaxed, but he still looked pale.  Sweat had broken out on his forehead again.  "I'm sorry. I was just trying to help," he said.  
    "If I'd know it'd lead to this..."  His vision shifted and he looked at the wall across from them.  He studied it hard.  Did it look brighter?  It remained the same and he narrowed his eyes.    
    He had no idea where they were and after what he'd just seen he was freaked the fuck out.  "I'm watching you," he whispered.    
    The room they were in was practically nothing.  It reminded him of a bomb shelter, but instead of metal reinforced walls it appeared to be made of narrow white bricks.  The large - apparently rock - he'd landed on when he'd been tossed in here was one of the very few things in this room.  The corner to their left had grass growing in front of it, along with three green, what he guessed were weeds.  Something that horrifying looked like a spider web was stuck to the center of the wall in front of them.    
    God, he didn't want to see any spiders.  He had the sick feeling that it'd be either abnormally huge, grotesquely shaped, or both.  "Death by spider," he thought bitterly.  He shivered.  Where the hell were they?  
    And that wasn't all.  There was a small circular opening that he assumed led to either another room or, at the least, a hallway... that he assumed led to another room.  Had he checked it out yet?  Hell no.  He wasn't stupid.    
    Since he'd been sitting here he'd had time to think.  When he'd first seen Tao he'd been glowing - glowing - white, and there'd been a burst of white light right before that monster thing had screamed.  So, he assumed that Tao had attacked it.  He hoped with everything inside of him that he'd killed it.  It hadn't followed them so...    
    But that didn't mean that another one was hanging around here.  He doubted that he'd be able to handle anything that came at him here.  "Tao, wake up," he whispered harshly.  He rarely got scared... and he wasn't... he wasn't scared.  He was fucking terrified.    
    Years of training was the only thing that kept him rooted in place... and not screaming like Tao when he thought a ghost was around.  Speaking of that...  He narrowed his eyes at Tao's face.  "You have some explaining to do you big faker," he whispered.

**Author's Note:**

> I invite you to support my work by leaving Kudos + Subscribe to be notified when a new chapter is posted. Thank you for reading.


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